“Prom Queen,” the Emmy-nominated web serial from Michael Eisner’s new-media company, is trying its luck on old media.
“Prom Queen: Season 1” & “Prom Queen: Summer Heat” were released this week on a two-disc DVD by Shout! Factory, the folks who put out the acclaimed “My So-Called Life” box set.
The “Prom Queen” DVD runs 315 minutes and goes for $17.99 on Amazon.
The teen series also has been available on Amazon’s streaming media and download service at $3.99 for rental and $9.99 to own.
Fans, of course, could save their money and see the show with a bit of hassle: The episodes remain online, for free with ads, on the “Prom Queen” site. During its 80-episode run on MySpace, the series was sponsored by the likes of New Line and Fujii water. Episodes whizzed by at 90 seconds each.
The DVD experiment could point to a new source of revenue and pre-production financing (via rights) for web-series makers. Still, it’s hard to see how the title will sell outside of dedicated fans and impulse buyers. It’s an interesting reverse take on aging TV shows taking their last gasps as free online fodder for sites like Hulu.
Eisner’s new-media studio Vuguru produced the show in association with the webisode creatives at Big Fantastic (”Sam Has 7 Friends”). Not to be confused with “Prom Queen” the 2005 movie about a gay guy who just wants to go to the prom with his beau.
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