I read an interesting article at The Hollywood Reporter about General Electric (NYSE: GE)`s NBC network and its experiment with a series that originated from the web called "quarterlife." I didn't see the show, but it apparently didn't work out for NBC -- it received absolutely terrible ratings, and one of the show's creators, Marshall Herskovitz, was quoted as saying that "it never should have been a network show."

I dearly hope that NBC, as well as Disney (NYSE: DIS)'s ABC, News Corp. (NYSE: NWS)'s Fox, and CBS (NYSE: CBS) don't take this setback too seriously. We're in a new media world, one that's changing rapidly, and with the introduction of new forms of interactive communication comes an evolution in not only the way that ideas are distributed but in the way in which they form and are presented. Herskovitz was disappointed that the show wasn't put on cable, believing it was "too specific" for such an audience -- I haven't seen "quarterlife" as I've said, but I know what he means by that. Still, I believe it is incumbent for networks to think like cable nets and try to emulate their creative edge. This "quarterlife" may have indeed been full of quirks that made it an odd choice for NBC, but so what? As NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman indicated, this test didn't cost the network a ton of money and it was "so worth the try."

Yes, "quarterlife" failed on a network -- so what? NBC should continue to look to the web for concepts that it might not get anywhere else. It can be a cheaper way for finding and developing off-the-map ideas, as well as new talent with the potential to hit it big. In the era of MySpace and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)'s YouTube, the networks need to be flexible enough to adopt new methods for generating content; cyberspace is full of cool stuff -- don't be afraid to port things over, guys, you just might hit upon something...

Disclosure: Steven Mallas owns shares in Disney and General Electric.

Following 'quarterlife' debacle, should networks ignore web-incubated ideas? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.