Are you a fan of television reality shows such as Survivor, The Apprentice, or even the ill-fated Apprentice with Martha Stewart? If you answered yes to any of these shows, you may be pleased to learn that AOL has signed a deal with Mark Burnett, the super-producer of reality television. According to reports in the Red Herring, a business technology site, the two giants are joining forces to develop an online reality show named, "Gold Rush!"
The premise of the show is finding "hidden treasure." Participants in the game hunt for clues on the AOL network, aim.com, mapquest.com, moviefone.com and of course, aol.com. The clues lead the players to specific locations in the United States where the treasures can be found.
The reason behind this new reality show was spawned was due to the enormous reaction and feedback Burnett received through online emails. Burnett said, "They [reality show fans] clearly want a lot more content than they can enjoy during one hour of television per week. The world is changing and the Internet is about to become the next broadcast network."
The online show will be advertised through television, the print media and mobile phones. Burnett believes that this new form of entertainment will be the next wave and will incorporate all forms of media. He said, "The immediate future will take advantage of content that utilizes television, print, and the Internet in concert."
Burnett’s new venture with AOL may be further confirmation that the "separation" of the different entertainment mediums, are continuing to blur. It is now commonplace to see movies, television and print on the Internet. Tens of thousands of internet radio shows are broadcast each day. Online gaming is consistently on the rise. The Internet, in its early form, was used as a device to share information between universities and government institutions. But now, the Internet has taken on a new role — as an entertainer.
And where there is any entertainment value to be had, there is surely money to be made.
