Google to deliver cartoon shorts from Family Guy creator

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 01 July 2008 12:18

Business IT - Networking

Google is breaking new bounds in the delivery of original web content, with plans to deliver cartoons from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane over the AdSense network.

According to reports from the US, Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy is set to debut in September. The business model is that advertisers will pay for pre-roll spots or for links, banners or sponsorship.

That revenue will be split between the site presenting the material (as is the case with conventional AdSense advertising), Google, Media Right Capital (which is underwriting production of the series) and MacFarlane.

Who gets what share has not been revealed. The amount site operators receive per click from AdSense can be very small, but some high-demand keywords can attract ads with a worthwhile payout - but only if someone clicks on them.

And that's likely to be the attraction of these ads - people will want to watch the cartoons, so click-through rates will probably be far higher than for AdSense text or banner ads.

Media Right Capital's funding reportedly means MacFarlane's project has $US1 million, which should guarantee high production values.

The new series won't be bound by limitations imposed on US broadcasters, and is therefore expected to be even edgier than MacFarlane's popular TV shows Family Guy and American Dad.