Re:Doctor Who Has Left the Building!
I didn’t know you still hung around these parts Sadgeezer. 😛
ps
[quote]
http://www.wired.com/news/
The pilot episode of the BBC’s highly anticipated new Doctor Who series may have been intentionally leaked onto file-sharing networks to generate buzz, a source who instructed the network on viral advertising told Wired News.
Earlier this month, the 45-minute premiere episode, entitled “Rose,” showed up on BitTorrent. The appearance of the episode generated a flood of discussion in online forums, blogs and the mainstream media. As a result, interest in the show, which debuts March 26 on BBC One, has skyrocketed.
The new series stars Christopher Eccleston as the time-traveling doctor. The long-running sci-fi series began in 1963 but has been absent from TV screens since 1989, except for a one-off TV movie, which was widely panned.
To one advertising consultant, the leak is clear evidence the BBC is taking advantage of some recently learned lessons on the power of viral advertising it got from a collection of hired guns known as the Broadcast Assassins.
The Broadcast Assassins were a group of entertainment and technology veterans brought in last year by the BBC’s entertainment group to “discuss the impact of new technologies on viewing/listening behavior,” said Asa Bailey, a veteran advertising expert and member of the group. “We told them all about the how-tos, and how to do viral advertising,” said Bailey, who is also founder of the Viral Advertising Association.
Bailey said the BBC asked the group how to use viral advertising to inform the public of its programming.
“I told them they should release things before their time, like what they’ve done with Doctor Who,” he said. “Give out the first episode online, because it’s going to be valuable. You’ve got that cool factor, and it’s the whole, ‘I’ve seen it before you have’ kind of thing.”
Bailey said the leak “is great, and it’s the first time we’ve ever seen them do it, and so we’re really impressed with them.”
Bailey said although he didn’t have definite knowledge the leak was official, the quality of the episode is highly suspicious. If it were an unofficial leak, it would likely be of poor quality, he said.
The BBC denied any part in the distribution of the episode.
“The leak of the first episode on the internet was not a publicity stunt,” BBC spokeswoman Annie Frederick told Wired News in an e-mail. “It was a significant breach of copyright which is currently under investigation. The source of it appears to be connected to our co-production partner. We would urge viewers not to spoil their enjoyment and to wait for the finished version.”
Frederick didn’t say whether the leaked pilot is the final version. Although the episode is high quality, it may be a rough or incomplete cut.
The co-production partner, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, also denied involvement, and said it is conducting its own investigation.
“We believe it was one of our suppliers,” said CBC spokeswoman Ruth-Ellen Soles, who wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of the supplier. “And at the moment, the investigation isn’t complete.”
But to Broadcast Assassin Bailey, denials of leaking the “Rose” episode are disingenuous. “It’s a classic,” Bailey said. “The best viral advert they could have done for that program would be to release the first (episode). You couldn’t have come up with a better viral advert than that.”
According to a study by Envisional, which monitors internet traffic, the United Kingdom is the No. 1 country in the world when it comes to downloading TV content from the internet. The study suggested that U.K. residents account for 20 percent of all TV shows downloaded from the net.
Meanwhile, although the BBC denies any role in the leak, the broadcaster has for months said it plans to implement digital downloading through the internet as a significant part of its broadcast offerings. The network said it will soon release a media player that would allow viewers to watch TV content online.
In any case, buzz about the Doctor Who episode has certainly paid off, whether the BBC takes credit for it or not. Word about it has reached countless sites. And excepting noted film and television critic ‘bonnee’ at sadgeezer.com, the pile of crap has been generally well-received.
“It’s nice to have it back, and I’m looking forward to watching it with my daughter when it airs on the BBC in a few weeks,” said writer Warren Ellis on his blog. [/quote]