| The old fashioned wall posters that featured | | | | important with regard to the premieres of new |
| TV and movie stars along with rock bands and | | | | shows and the launch of new seasons. Web fan |
| that highlighted generations of teen-age | | | | sites provide the opportunity for the TV |
| bedrooms have been overshadowed, if not | | | | networks to premiere character outlines and |
| replaced, by fan sites on the Internet. There | | | | even selected promotional clips. This was |
| are untold tens (hundreds?) of thousands of | | | | previously the exclusive domain of morning |
| them, ranging from amateur idol worship to | | | | news programs and entertainment news |
| sophisticated collections of information, | | | | magazines like Entertainment Tonight. |
| photos and often video clips of the person, | | | | |
| or shows being lionized. | | | | In the World of Sports |
| | | | |
| For the most part, fan sites can upload | | | | In the sports world, there are several gaming |
| photos and small clips from films under the | | | | sites - particularly in the UK - that invite |
| "fair use" policy. Generally speaking, fair | | | | viewers to upload their personal videos or |
| use is a court-defined copyright principle | | | | photos of pro athletes or games. The entire |
| based on the belief that the public is | | | | sports industry, including the gaming |
| entitled to freely use portions of | | | | segment, is TV driven. Some sites pay for |
| copyrighted materials for purposes of | | | | this content. In this country as in Europe, |
| commentary and criticism. Short clips or | | | | many of the media savvy pro athletes have |
| stills of a program or film are usually | | | | their own websites. Controversial pros such |
| covered under fair use. | | | | as Barry Bonds and Terrell Owens use those |
| | | | sites to respond to negative news coverage; |
| Turning Fandom into Big Business | | | | you will often see their personal blogs |
| | | | quoted in sports stories. Some athletes |
| Like most everything else on the Internet, | | | | peddle their own autographed memorabilia over |
| people are finding ways to make money from | | | | their web sites. |
| the phenomenon. There are indexes of TV fan | | | | |
| sites that are peppered with advertising. | | | | TV Personalities |
| Sites for the soap opera stars provide | | | | |
| particularly potent advertising | | | | Many teen TV and music personalities also |
| opportunities. There are "official" and | | | | have their own websites and provide |
| unofficial sites dedicated to public figures | | | | (ostensibly) personal updates on their lives, |
| in the entertainment world. Many of the | | | | careers, etc. It has changed the nature of |
| unofficial sites have advertising as well, | | | | teen idol worship by bringing the entertainer |
| while the official sites often peddle | | | | much closer to the fan. These personal "star" |
| memorabilia. For that matter, so do the | | | | sites have proven to be productive publicity |
| unofficial sites. | | | | and outreach tools for performers seeking to |
| | | | build a following among the 12-24 age group. |
| Any Press is Good Press | | | | They have also helped to build ratings for |
| | | | the TV shows starring these young actors. |
| What the entertainment industry has learned | | | | |
| is that, generally, fan sites have a positive | | | | is a site dedicated to television and film |
| impact on the entertainer or entertainers | | | | industry gossip, news and images. You can |
| featured. The old adage about negative news | | | | find television show clips there, presumably |
| coverage is "Print anything you want about | | | | placed with permission from the studio. An |
| me, just spell my name properly." In other | | | | important component of their content, |
| words, any coverage is good coverage, any | | | | however, is the index of fan pages for stars |
| exposure is good exposure. The really short | | | | of all types - music, movies, TV. All of this |
| version is "there's no bad press." | | | | content including the fan sites is interlaced |
| | | | with advertising for upcoming movies and many |
| For television, this is particularly | | | | non-entertainment, online products. |