Folks, things are a little busy here at work today, but I wanted to at least explain what the current writer strike is all about. A primary concern of the writers’ guild is that contracts don’t account for royalties earned from episode programming reaped via digital channels. The legacy guild contracts were constructed on airwave and cable package programming through traditional TV sets. Do we really think that people will be paying to download episodes in the future, as the media propositions as an either/or outcome? Or are there other types of digital programming the writers are worried about?
I bring to you the following, which was just delivered to me as a beta release no more than 30 minutes ago: http://www.fancast.com/full_episodes
Now, I ask you, did you think that, decades ago, the writers ever imagined their witty and classic ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ episode in which the tornado hits Cincinnati would ever be distributed for free across something called the internet?
http://www.fancast.com/tv/WKRP-in-Cincinnati/92679/564170069/Tornado/videos
Did you think the producers from ‘Major Dad’ ever imagined their heartwarming episode, in which Mac and Polly get married, would ever be distributed for free across something called the internet?
http://www.fancast.com/tv/Major-Dad/90612/611252455/The-Wedding/videos
Did you think that the composer of the greatest TV theme of all time ever imagined his mechanical composition would be distributed for free across something called the internet?
http://www.fancast.com/tv/The-A-Team/4957/563890501/Black-Day-at-Bad-Rock/videos
(Editorial aside: WHERE IS ‘THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO’???)
(Editorial aside #2: I’m likely busy for the next 2 years. They’ve got Alfred F*****G Hitchcock. Torrenting this stuff takes forever. So I’m told. By a friend who torrents. Not me.)
Do you think the writers, producers, line techs, composers, etc. are getting paid for any of this? I don’t.
And you’re welcome.
In Solidarity
Much as the lack of good programming is killing me right now, and much as I’m deeply afraid that some of my favorite programs will be cancelled forever because of the current strike, I think they have chosen an absolute crucial time and place to wage their battle.
I am 90% certain that the future of all programming lies in the digital realm of the internet. What with free webcasts of episodes on NBC and ABC web sites, with downloading episodes through iTunes (which is becoming fairly popular), the advent of YouTube and the growing popularity of Direct to Web programs, I think the motion of the industry into that medium is inevitable. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of our lives, yada yada.
I don’t we can accurately predict exactly how this move will occur. Maybe it will be downloaded episodes, maybe it will be pay per view streaming. One idea that’s been tossed around is member supported shows. ie “You really like Firefly? If enough fans pay x$ per episode *directly* than the show could be resurrected independent of any major studio or network.”
But even though we don’t know what the specifics are, one thing, I think, is clear: if writers don’t land royalty agreements for digital distribution, they are @(#$%#ed. It ain’t gonna do them no good to have royalty agreements for TV and film distribution when the number of people actually watching their TVs has tanked (a distinct possibility). They got burned hardcore when DVDs became the next big thing, and they can’t afford to get burned on this.
Netflixing shows…
I’ve been Netflixing my TV shows for quite some time now. It works well. I don’t have to buy a DVD I’m only going to watch one time.
Lately, I’ve been streaming it from the Netflix server. This also works well. The problem I see with this form of distribution is that there does not seem to be any sort of commercial support for it. If there are no advertisers, the only person getting any revenue is Netflix, with my piddling $17 a month. I mean, perhaps what Netflix can start doing is awarding a percentage of my subscription fee to the individual shows.
But I do know that Torrenting shows doesn’t give the writers, producers, and actors anything but exposure. That model can’t really sustain itself with the quality and cost of productions today. The blessing that it is for small producers is the curse for the big, expensive shops.
I have no solutions, only soapboxes.
—
Matthew P. Barnson
Game of Chicken.
The digital age is certainly the way for the future. Viewing shows via the net isn’t half bad. I have pulled some free shows from i-tunes and the quality has been nice. I don’t foresee a time when i would be willing to pay per episode / season for a show. The DirecTV bill on top of the Netflix charge is enough for me.
I have a couple co-workers who have been talking about canceling their cable subscriptions because of all the re-runs.
So do you think that the writers strike will back fire? If the viewers grow tired of waiting for their shows to come back and stray to other shows or just view non-network television / media then the network shows that they write for are sure to be canceled. With the shows canceled there will be less to write for and therefore less money coming into their pockets. On the flip side of that argument, the studios hold out long enough and they will most certainly start to loose advertising revenue. Not a good situation for them either.
So I see this as a game of chicken. Who will blink first? Side A wants more money. Side B doesn’t want to offer it. It is an interesting dynamic to see who will give in first.
You Won’t Have To Pay
JB,
Although some people may per per episode, or per season, for a show, it doesn’t look like the studios are banking on paid subscriptions for a significant percentage of their revenue.
http://www.hulu.com/about
At it’s one-year anniversary, NBC seems to be leading the charge for putting studio broadcast content on the net, for free.
My prediction, which has been brewing for some time, and further supported by sites such as hulu, state that all content that can be digitized will eventually become ‘mostly free’, direct to consumer. What digital content won’t cost you in cash it will cost you in other inconveniences, interruptions, and irritations. From books to movies to music to live entertainment (broadcast), consumers will start to get almost everything for mostly free.