Web content site Sightsound.com has signed a deal with Comedy Central to sell the back episodes of SOUTH PARK and recently cancelled DR. KATZ: PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST in a downloadable format. Both TV series episodes will be available for US$2.50 for a two-day rental fee or $4.95 for a full purchase on Sightsound.com and ComedyCentral.com. Download times will range from 5 minutes for DSL users to over an hour for dial-up subscribers. The Pennsylvania-based Sightsound made a name for itself by commissioning the $3 million mini-feature QUANTUM PROJECT for a direct-to-Internet release. The sci-fi flick is available for $3.95 and stars Stephen Dorff, Fay Masterson and John Cleese. Whether this deal marks the future of content distribution is still uncertain, but it does mark potential for channels to find cost-effective homes for cancelled shows that dont have mass potential on video like DR. KATZ. Ken Locker, Comedy Centrals senior VP in charge of new-media projects, said, "This will be a great opportunity if it works. The beauty of digital media is theres virtually no incremental cost between the first copy and the thousandth copy."
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
