Revision3, as most webizens will certainly be aware, is the online network hoping to bring web content to all facets of life, such as television, portable devices, etc. Their network is home to such popular content as Diggnation, with hundreds of thousands of weekly viewers.
However, many people who have been with Revision3 from the beginning remember the first show that they made, the show that they used to prove the viability of their company and of their business model: thebroken. The show, which launched on July 21, 2003, had only four episodes in its 3 year run, the last of which was after a 2.5 year hiatus. The content focused on hacker culture, and tips, tricks, and how-too’s for everyday hacking. Personally, I learned a valuable lesson on WEP encryption hacking that has come in handy in the past couple of years. On September 26, 2006, thebroken was officially dead.
Why was it canceled? Kevin Rose stated in 2006 interview that thebroken had achieved over 2 million downloads in the first year, setting a great precedent for their viability of their company. It sparked the beginnings of Revision3, with new shows springing out of the company regularly after thebroken caught on. After episode 3, no reason was given as to why no new shows has produced for several months. As time dragged on, forum posts began asking questions about the future of the show. When episode 4 was released, these people thought that finally their pressure had worked. But, no more episodes were to be created. With the official cancellation announced, people began to drift towards other offerings, such as Systm.
Their has been no other show on Revision3, or elsewhere, that covers the same area of web culture that thebroken did. The ratings were fine in comparison to other web video that is considered successful, and their certainly is not a lack of subject matter. Thebroken forums have been active with threads dating back to 2005 debating whether the show is alive or dead, and what the chances are of its recovery.
Myself, and the other fans of the show, would certainly wish for a reasonable explanation, although it is apparent that we will be reduced to debating over 3 year old comments by Revision3 employees. I have long ago accepted the fact that the show is dead, but will stay on the lookout for anything to replace its genre.
