????加菲根他們的秘訣在于規(guī)模效益。在收回制作成本和為下載服務付費之后，在線收入的每一個子兒都是他們自己的（除了支付網(wǎng)站貝寶PayPal的服務費）。而由于在銷售中的分成更多，他們還可以薄利多銷：一次下載通常只要5美元。最賣座的明星還可以多賺一筆，過些日子再以較低的價格向Showtime這樣的電視網(wǎng)出售放映權。而在iTunes上的分成是每10美元的下載收回3.5美元。

????由于不受聯(lián)邦通信委員會（FCC）管轄，在網(wǎng)上，演員們還可以突破創(chuàng)作限制。5月份達西?邁克爾在其個人網(wǎng)站發(fā)布半小時的專輯《瘦婊子》（One Skinny Bitch），他覺得這個版本如果在電視上播放，一定會改得面目全非。

????“我像個騎警一樣滿嘴臟話，”邁克爾說?！八麄兛隙〞h掉一半。”

????雖然演員們在創(chuàng)作尺度上獲得了更大自由，但他們卻失去了財力雄厚的電視網(wǎng)來為他們進行推廣。加菲根說，在其職業(yè)生涯早期，一檔喜劇中心的專題節(jié)目就是“我個人喜劇品牌的最佳廣告”。

????對尚未獲得付費的電視演出機會的演員來說，網(wǎng)絡則提供了一個以低廉的成本實現(xiàn)自我突破的機會。達西?邁克爾僅僅花費4,000美元就制作完成了《瘦裱子》。演員羅伯?德蘭尼在8月份即將發(fā)布的首個在線專題的制作費也僅為3萬美元。強勁的在線銷售還可能幫助他們一步步實現(xiàn)付費電視演出的夢想。

????行業(yè)專家和喜劇演員都不認為網(wǎng)絡可以完全取代一小時的電視專題節(jié)目。按照數(shù)碼分銷專家山姆?福特的說法，最可能的模式就是先在網(wǎng)上賺個吆喝，吸引電視網(wǎng)的關注。然后通過電視網(wǎng)強大的推廣能力，幫助建立演員的粉絲群體，最后演員再回到網(wǎng)上發(fā)布作品，這時就可以真正實現(xiàn)盈利了。

????The secret, for Gaffigan and others, is scale. After covering production costs and paying for a website with a download service, comedians receive every cent of revenue they earn from an online show (less a minimal fee to PayPal). Since they keep a bigger cut of sales, they can charge less for every download—usually $5 on a personal website. The most bankable stars can double-dip, selling broadcast rights to a network like Showtime at a reduced rate at a later date. They can also sell the material on iTunes, keeping $3.50 of every $10 download.

????Comedians can also push creative boundaries online, where they're outside the domain of the FCC. Darcy Michael, who released his half-hour long album "One Skinny Bitch" on his personal website in May, says that his material would have been completely different if it aired on TV.

????"I swear like a trooper," says Michael. "They'd take half of that out."

????But what comedians gain in edgy material, they lose in promotion from deep-pocketed TV networks. In the early days of his career, says Jim Gaffigan, a Comedy Central special was "an infomercial for my brand of comedy."

????For comedians who don't have the luxury of a paid TV gig, the web offers a way to break out, at a manageable expense. Darcy Michael spent just $4,000 to produce "One Skinny Bitch." Comedian Rob Delaney's first online special, due online in August, cost $30,000 to produce. Robust online sales could help both comedians edge closer to paid TV work.

????Neither industry experts nor comedians envision a world where the web will entirely replace a one-hour TV special. More likely, says Sam Ford, an expert on digital distribution, is a model where talent generates buzz online, and then attracts the attention of networks. Through their promotional power, the networks then build a comedian's fan base until the comedian can return to releasing work on the web— this time, for a profit.