A web series is “a series of scripted videos, generally in episodic form, released on the internet, or also by mobile/cellular phone”

• part of a the newly emerging medium called web television
• a single instance of a web series program is called an episode or (more cleverly named) a webisode

Many producers of web series use platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo in hopes of attracting as many viewers as possible and look for potential partnerships or sponsorships to make a profit from their creative product.

Producing and distributing a web series is a generally cheap way to reach a global audience.

•  Jenna Marbles: began as a writer for StoolLaLa, the female counterpart to Barstool Sports, later created vlog-style  videos and became an almost-instant YouTube success

There is a wide spectrum of what is considered a web series, from amateur productions to bigger media conglomerates. For example, there are smaller shows (still with a pretty significant following) such as “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,” but also much larger companies diving into this new media form.

• Netflix, for example, creates series released only online for its subscribers
  • i.e. “Orange is the New Black” or “House of Cards”
  • However, these are typically released one season at a time, rather than one episode at a time