In its monster hit "Lost," ABC has found more than just a highly rated, award-winning television show with the potential to spin off sequels. "Lost" has become a world of its own, albeit fictional, that, with its labyrinth of clues and multilayered plots, has become the test case for the marriage between new technology and creative content.
Getting "Lost" has never been easier. It's on your TV set, your DVR, your iPod and DVD collection -- and that's just the Wednesday-night program itself. Surf the Web and there are countless "Lost" sites -- some designed by ABC or the show's creators and others by the legions of fans of the island castaways drama. Soon there will be "Lost Video Diaries" on Verizon cellphones, two-minute episodes that will chronicle the stories of characters who were on the doomed Oceanic Flight 815 but who do not appear on the show.
Still not "Lost" enough? There are books, magazines, trading cards, calendars, apparel and an upcoming board game.
This season, "Lost" is the fourth-ranked show in total viewers and the all-important 18- to 49-year-old demographic. But "Lost" has become something more, a model for a new media age, one that has far-reaching financial implications for artists and producers as new technology almost demands that they produce original content for Internet sites and blogs, DVDs, podcasts and books.
What's happening with "Lost" is also a harbinger of the changing nature of TV watching itself, dividing its followers into two groups: the loyal audience that tunes in every week and the fans who devour every bit of information made available to them on the Internet, books and magazines.
"The show is the mother ship, but I think with all the new emerging technology, what we've discovered is that the world of 'Lost' is not basically circumscribed by the actual show itself," executive producer Carlton Cuse said.
Other networks and producers are following "Lost" closely to see if this multimedia franchising model can work for them. As technology allows more viewers to tune in how and when they want -- most noticeably, commercial free -- networks are looking for new ways to distribute their shows as well as spark buzz about them. To that end, network marketers are working closer than ever with the writers and producers to generate campaigns that blend content with marketing strategies.
