One of the incredible things about the current strike is that at this point it starts to look a little like the big studios are either scared of the impact of the Internet or arrogant enough to believe that they can outwait the writers. This is exactly the position the record labels were in a few years ago, treating performers like chattel and furiously suing music pirates.
This piece by Jack Meyers discusses how the writers have gone directly to the advertising community to discuss what’s at stake:
Sarah Fay, CEO of Carat U.S. and Isobar commented, “The strike is a huge issue for advertisers. It seems like the networks are intent on burning their own house. And ours! Not only that, but it also appears that the industry press, and of course the news channels, won’t cover the writers’ side fairly because of politics. They are now talking to people like me because they want us to know how dire the situation is.”
There is a distinct possibility that if the strike goes on for much longer, then there will be no Fall TV Season. Many of the studios can “ride it out” by way of deep pockets and reality TV, but it seems suicidal in the long term to take that course.
But then Meyers mentions this:
In the interim, “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarland has contracted with Google to develop a series of sponsored five-minute mini-programs. Rather than residuals, McFarland will retain 50% ownership of the copyright. As the strike drags on, we can expect to see more unconventional content solutions to satisfy the hunger for scripted programming. Miller Beer is reported to be talking to late night TV writers about a talk show for online and alternative distribution. One writer who is aware of the discussions believes the strike is “fostering a new era of direct relationships between the writing community and advertisers.” Broadband video content companies Worldwide Biggies and Next New Networks are ramping up their production to capitalize on the suddenly available audiences and writers.
Frank Smith at Contentinople mentions much the same thing:
As time drags on with no new scripted content being produced, writers have begun to consider branching out into guild-approved Web startups where they can create their own production companies and bypass the studio system.
Some writers are looking to cut out studio distribution entirely. This would leave their content to live and die on the Internet. Some writers involved in talks with VCs have mentioned that they would use sites like Facebook and MySpace to distribute and promote their content, which seems like a decent marketing idea, but not enough to build a business plan around.
Smith argues that success online may lead right back to television, but this time the creators would have a larger ownership stake. The studios might win this battle, but lose the war of dominance.
Tags: WGA strike, digital content
2 Responses
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The Pop View Says:
According to the results of a new TNS survey, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike has caused no impact on the viewing habits of 74 percent of Americans, with only 22 percent of Americans watching significantly less TV than they were before.
“While the effect of the strike has not affected mainstream viewing habits, the decline is quickly approaching,” said Don Ryan, the VP of TNS Technology and Media at TNS North America. “We will begin to see an overall cut in TV viewing by 10 to 20 percent in the next few weeks, once many shows begin airing reruns of recent episodes.”
The TNS study gauged the support and reaction to the WGA strike, which has been ongoing since November 5, 2007. The study found that almost two-thirds of Americans do not support either side in the writers’ strike. However, 34 percent do support the writers, with the West Coast being slightly more supportive at 39 percent; only two percent support the television producers. And nearly 20 percent of respondents do not support the strike because they do not know why writers are striking. When taking gender into account, men, at 38 percent, are slightly more supportive of the strike than women.
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The Pop View » Blog Archive » The post-strike digital world Says:
[...] But are the studios that smart? I wrote a contrary view about a month ago (Impact of the WGA Strike): One of the incredible things about the current strike is that at this point it starts to look a little like the big studios are either scared of the impact of the Internet or arrogant enough to believe that they can outwait the writers. This is exactly the position the record labels were in a few years ago, treating performers like chattel and furiously suing music pirates. [...]