I think it often comes down to distribution. Now that the distributors (netflix, hbo, apple, etc) are the ones frequently funding the shows, the show dies when

I think it often comes down to distribution. Now that the distributors (netflix, hbo, apple, etc) are the ones frequently funding the shows, the show dies when the distributor no longer wants to fund it. There is less opportunity for the rights holder to take that show to another network/distributor. It would be harder to get trial, but if a pilot episode was free to watch on the show's website, then people could pay for the rest of the episodes right there. Conversion would also be lower than if it was distributed on a pre-paid subscription that someone already has, but at least the people paying for the show decide with their wallet if it continues to get funding. I've got a concept for an animated series and I'm planning to release it on youtube. I'm hoping that if it gets enough of a following, I can make it work with just the revenue from youtube. Of course, this kind of model doesn't usually work for high production value content unless the people involved want to bootstrap it.