2013: 165). Hence, we can recognise in these webisodes a great opportunity for producers to be closer to their public by providing valid information. In this case, these online episodes represent a new way of understanding television thanks to the new technologies.

The restructuring of the traditional television industry through the production of specific audio-visual content for emerging media implies different ways of storytelling, short duration of programmes, and the design of multimedia products that can be profitable on different platforms and media (Carboni, 2014: 13).

Finally, we recognise a new model of international and accessible television that seeks an active and restless viewer. Lost was the first fictional work to launch this type of expansive content, but it was soon followed by The Walking Dead (2010- ), The Office (2005-2013), and Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), generating their own transmedia universe and having their own mobisodes.

3.2. Participatory culture in the virtual narrative through ARGs

Different ARGs were launched with Lost: The Lost Experience (2006), Find 815 (2008), Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project (2008), and Lost University (2009). All of them were developed in collaboration with the broadcast of each series, taking advantage of the emission hiatuses. Actually, each ARG had a direct relationship with the plot of the season. Thus, they allowed the audience to discover more details about the upcoming episodes. However, the reaction from audiences was varied. Many ARGs like Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project (2008) required high commitment. They were a truly complex proposition that was difficult to follow. However, in this research, we will focus our analysis on the case of The Lost Experience (2006). This project revolutionised the transmedia and narrative construction of the series, becoming a seminal reference for the treatment of television ARGs.

From the beginning, this narrative piece was designed as a globalised strategy in which different countries participated. In fact, “it was co-developed by three television companies, ABC of the United States, Channel Seven of Australia, and Channel Four of the United Kingdom” (Pérez and Alba, 2010: 429). It was born with the idea of giving narrative background and context to fictitious and mysterious elements of the plot such as the Dharma Initiative or Oceanic Airlines. These are fictional brands created for the plot of the series. Due to its international success, between the second and third season this project was launched seeking loyalty and complicity with the audience. This game sought to add to the trend of convergent consumption on the Internet to explore the narrative construction of the story. Ramos (2011: 425) thinks, “The Lost Experience sees itself as a game for fans of the series that combines the fictitious and diegetic world of Lost with the real world of the viewer”. This idea is also addressed by Scolari (2013: 266), who believes that the interaction of the “game between reality and fiction was permanent: users could buy flights on the website of Oceanic Airlines or send their resume to aspire to a job on the island”. Thanks to this piece, the viewers of the series had the possibility of interacting directly with fictional elements. Then these and other actions could be combined with the participative culture of other users from different parts of the world. Together, besides having fun, they managed to discover the secrets of the plot and mysteries of the game itself. Among them were websites and fictitious advertising campaigns, short films, and specific promotional events that made special sense in this context. However, at the same