±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Personally, I can think of nothing less relaxing than sitting in front of a computer to get my daily TV fix, after a day staring at one in the office. However, as much as I would like to think I am down with the kids, I'm not part of ‘Generation Y'.

It is no secret that the youth market - that is, teenagers and 20-somethings - consumes entertainment in a very different way from older people. For example, one sixth of the viewing figures for the third series of teen drama Skins earlier this year came via the web. When online soap Sofia's Diary debuted in March 2008 on social network Bebo, it attracted 5m viewers in its first two weeks - mainly young people, of course.

The success of Sofia's Diary prompted other programme makers to prod­uce shows using the same ‘snack TV' format to attract a youthful aud­ience wanting a daily dose of drama in 10-15 minute bites. KateModern drew 2m viewers on Bebo for its first series.

While social networks have embraced the snack TV format, more traditional broad­casters have been slower on the uptake. As a result they have missed an opportunity to provide a lower-cost but attractive alternative for advertisers.

The EastEnders online spin-off, East­Enders: E20, which the BBC revealed last week, will be closely watched by rivals. The show follows the lives of four new characters who move into Albert Square and will feature cameos from the soap's stars, including Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Slater. This is a clever move, because it will attract a new set of young viewers to the main show.

ITV has yet to attempt any stand­alone dramas or spin-off soaps online. However, to its credit, the broad­caster has created exclusive programming for its Coronation Street website. One example, Street Talk, is a series fronted by a celebrity fan that features inter­views with cast members, exclusive news stories, on-set gossip and sneak previews of future storylines.  

Channel 4 has made online spin-offs, including some Skins ‘webisodes' and a Hollyoaks drama, The Morning After the Night Before, that played exclusively on­line throughout July 2009. This received more than 650,000 views on e4.com, and a further 300,000 on YouTube.

While commercial broadcasters drag their feet, Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of media magnate Rupert Murdoch and founder of production group Shine, has seen the potential. She announced last month that she has joined forces with Joanna Shields, the former chief executive of Bebo, to form a company that will combine television production and social media.

While, as with any type of program­ming, there are bound to be hits and misses, snack TV can be produced at a low cost. The writers of EastEnders: E20, for example, are all between the ages of 17 and 22. The fierce competition for careers in television means young people often work for free in the hope of getting a break. Creating online content will be viewed by many aspiring TV producers as a chance to get a foot on the ladder, and they will adjust their salary expectations accordingly.

For brands, the format lends itself well to advertiser-funded programm­ing. It offers them an opportunity to get involved from the start and play a role in creating the content. There are also fewer limitations on the use of product placement, with obvious benefits for an array of advertisers that have difficulty attracting a younger market.

Commercial broadcasters must no longer treat online TV production as simply a way of boosting their tradition­al television offering. Their expertise and resources puts them in a perfect position to create original web series that far exceed the reach of the likes of Sofia's Diary or KateModern.

Amanda Andrews is media editor at The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and telegraph.co.uk

30 seconds on EastEnders

• The soap opera launched on BBC One in February 1985. 
• Four half-hour episodes are aired each week, on all weekdays except Wednesday. The BBC broadcasts a two-hour omnibus of the previous week's episodes on Sundays.
• It has been one of Britain's top-rated programmes since its launch, with a current average audience share of 35% to 45% per episode.
• A 10-week interactive series, entitled EastEnders Xtra, aired in 2005, after the series' Monday episodes. The spin-off was hosted by actors from the show and featured cast interviews as well as quizzes and games viewers could play via their mobile phones.
• The audience for EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986 was 30.2m viewers, which was more than half of the UK's total population at the time. The episode revolved around pub landlord ‘Dirty' Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) serving his wife Angie (Anita Dobson) with divorce papers.
• In 2007, the BBC signed a deal with Google to put EastEnders episodes on YouTube.
  
• The series has won 11 National Television Awards and five BAFTAs.