TV Run for Web-Dud 'Quarterlife'

YouTube buzz is tough to manufacture, and so far NBC’s “Quarterlife,” the network's experiment in TV-quality production for the web, hasn’t managed. The last dozen episodes have each drawn around 100,000 views between MySpace and YouTube combined, which isn’t many eyeballs in the TV world. Regardless, NBC will complete its web-to-TV play by broadcasting the series in February, the New York Times reports.

TV moguls are watching “Quarterlife” closely, even if no one else is. Most see a big future for original web content, but no one has a successful model yet. Disney’s made-for-web “Prom Queen” topped out at a mere 300,000 views. “That’s just the way the world is right now for scripted content on the Internet,” says "Quarterlife’s" co-creator. “We’re trying to change that.” (More YouTube stories.)