No New TV?
Writers are ready to strike. They decided Thursday night that they would strike if they didn’t negotiate a contract agreement with the networks. They put it off, leaving the networks and tv lovers in suspense. Will they strike tomorrow?
There were last-ditch effort talks on today to see if an agreement could be reached. Writers want a bigger cut of the revenue that is brought in from dvd and also from shows and movies streamed over the net or cell phones. Their contract expired November 1, and it was four years old. It gave the writers 1.2% of revenue for shows streamed online for one-time viewing. The don’t get anything for shows or movies downloaded from sites like iTunes.
AFP reported on the possible strike and gave an example of this:
…if an entire blockbuster film supported by ads is shown free of charge on the Internet, writers get no money because studios label the display “promotional.”
A writers stike could cost the entertainment industry as much as a billion dollars. First affected woud be late-night talk shows, like David Letterman, who depend on writers for content. TV shows would be affected if the strike lasted longer. This means a lot of game shows, news shows, and reality shows, which aren’t covered by the Writers Guild.
A federal mediator was called in to help with negotiations. If they don’t reach one, WGA leaders and network officials expect a long strike.
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