Balancing exposure with revenue is key when selling documentary shorts to new media platforms, said distributors at a closing session of the Hot Docs festival in Toronto.

‘You have to hold out for the deal that gives you the widest audience,’ said Noam Muscovitch, a multimedia specialist at Toronto- and New York-based iThentic, adding that a good deal is worth about $1,000 per minute to the content creator. iThentic, which focuses on the production and distribution of shorts, signs individual deals with carriers such as Rogers Wireless, and shares revenue with content producers.

Mark Cranwell, of U.K.-based Babelgum, told producers that it can be tricky to promote, and also to generate revenue from, their content on the web.

‘People’s perception when viewing content on the Internet is that it’s free,’ he said. ‘People don’t want to pay for the content, but they’re prepared to watch the advertising.’

Babelgum is ad-supported, and while the model is successful, Cranwell said it is heavily reliant on viewership, telling producers they’ll ‘need a lot of people watching your content numerous times before advertising will start paying off.’ He also cautioned producers against surrendering all their rights when it comes to the negotiating table. ‘Go non-exclusive,’ Cranwell urged.

Panelists also discussed the kind of content that’s being snapped up for distribution, telling producers the shorter the better.

‘It has to be 15 minutes or less,’ said Jeremy Boxer, a programmer at U.K.-based Cinelan, adding that the company seeks professional shorts that have a cinematic quality to them.

‘Shoot in HD if you can,’ added Klara Grunning-Harris of the Independent Television Service, noting that producers should create content that can reach beyond a traditional platform, citing educational films as an example.

Producers asked if airing their shorts on YouTube would be detrimental to a later deal on a distribution site.

‘It might have an impact on your negotiations for money upfront in your contract,’ said Cranwell. ‘If it’s on YouTube for free…it becomes a harder sell.’

Agreed Boxer: ‘We want to monetize the exposure, so putting it on YouTube first makes a big difference to us.’ *

Lost, Grey’s, ‘wives

go online at CTV

CTV has closed a deal to run three more U.S. series on its site, adding Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.

The deal with Disney-ABC, unveiled April 25, includes the remaining new episodes for all three from the 2007/08 season, which will be streamed through the CTV Broadband Network at ctv.ca after they air on the West Coast.

‘These are three of the hottest shows on television today, and we want to make sure CTV viewers can stay on top of these fan favourites through the end of the season by catching up at their convenience,’ said CTV programming boss Susanne Boyce in a statement.

Online deals for U.S. shows are difficult to close, though CTV and Global have both offered a handful of primetime series since 2006.

Each episode will be available for 28 days. Also included in the deal are brief episode recaps and 13 web-only installments of Lost, meant to fill in gaps from the last three seasons.