"Participation in
revenue gained
in all media outlets,
whether now known
or hereafter devised."
This is standard
jargon that I've
seen included
for years in any
option deal for
creators and producers
of a new tv show
or film. Producers
and Agents have
long known that
content produced
could bring profit
from more venues
than just the
boob-tube or cineplex,
and the digital
age has now brought
that to a very
lucrative reality
for those producers,
networks and studios.
Today,
the Writers Guild
of America called
a strike for the
first time in
20 years, pitting
the writers against
the distributors
in a mellee over
that new media
revenue.
As
an example, and
negotiated by
the Writers Guild,
a writer who
is creating
and writing a
weekly series will
be paid royalties
on televised episodes
in addition to
their weekly salary. What
the WGA didn't
anticipate was
the additional
profits via new
media (internet
and cell phones)
earned by the networks that
can potentially
dwarf the revenues
the networks currently receive
from television
advertisers. Networks
and Studios have turned
a cheek at sharing more
profits from the
new media money
sources by
calling the distributed
content "promotional
pieces". This is
what the AMPTP
(Alliance for
Motion Picture
and Television
Producers)
is demanding,
and it's no
surprise the
Writers Guild
voted to strike.
It's an unfair
relationship handed
down by those
collecting new
streams of revenue
hand-over-fist.
Yes,
networks deserve
their ownership
rights because
they risk the
money to physically
produce and market
the show, but
this is a business
of artistic collaboration,
not widget manufacturing.
The writer of
a motion picture
or network series
earns less money
per DVD sale than
the manufacturer
of the plastic
box the DVD is
wrapped in. 'Something
like 4 cents residual
earning on a $20
DVD sale. The
same situation
stands for streaming
video and downloads
of entire tv episodes
and movies sold
as "promotional
material".
The studios and
networks didn't
invent the cell
phone or streaming
video. They simply
found a new way
to sell the product
that professional
writers created.
The
career of a writer
is wrought with
uncertainty and
volatility. If
creation and writing
is the lifeblood
of the industry,
then its only
fair to give writers
a fraction more
stability in their
lives by sharing
the new media
revenue.
As
for the state
of the union?
Get ready for
a long ride on
re-runs, and yes,
MORE REALITY SHOWS!
If you're running
a network or production
company, and anticipating
a stalemate as
long as the '88
strike, then it's
not going to take
long for you to
fill your programming
board with more
reality-based
projects that
are producer driven.
Especially when advertisers
apply pressure
for new highly
marketable hits
in a time when
people may tune
out.
The
TV
Writers Vault
does anticipate
heavy activity
from production
companies scouting
new unscripted
formats for reality-based
series and documentaries,
as well as most
scripted genres.
The development
process is a long
one, and most
companies won't
slow acquisitions, but
only shift their
focus from scripted
to unscripted.
It's
my hope that in
the end the new
media markets
will provide a
foundation of
support for writers
and creators in
all genres of
television. It's
the AMPTP's responsibility
to let that happen.
