TV is Dead.
The writer’s strike is an interesting pickle if you ask me. Why is the WGA on strike? Well i’m not going to explain it…click here if you really want to know. All I can say that this strike is great for new media producers which I have been watching for about 2 years now. We are at a point where news media has fallen apart, reality tv has gone bust, and traditional TGIF sitcoms like Full House are near extinction…HAVE MERCY!
One of the major issues revolving the WGA strike is that residuals are not being paid to writers for iTunes(esque) downloads as well as a request by the WGA to double residual rates of DVD sales.
The WGA has requested a doubling of the residual rate for DVD sales, which, according to the WGA, would result in a residual of approximately eight cents (up from four cents) per DVD sold. source: wikipedia
Why won’t the producers budge on this issue? At the risk of giving a generic and typical “tv producers and mega corps are fatcats” opinion, I would rather comment on how the writers’ strike will turn people off to television. The NHL was never the same after the 1994 - 95 lockout, fans lost faith in the league and many casual fans (like myself) just stopped caring about the league (though i still love the Leafs…kinda…well ok i like them)
Why is this good for new media producers? Because people are turning to the internet for casual entertainment. I’ve noticed that minor celebrities are making appearances on websites like funnyordie.com . If the audience is moving to a new market, why not promote it? It’s interesting to see these actors making ridiculous videos as Will Ferrell has with “The Landlord“. Will actors and writers just ditch television in the same manor that Radiohead ditched their label and put an album out on their own? I see a pattern here.
Major broadcasters have decided to buy large blocks of reality tv to act as prime-time scabs for the next few months. Since competition is at an all time high for reality tv programming, TV networks are paying significantly lower for blocks of these shows….suddenly…American Gladiators made a comeback!?
I think 2008 will be year of the “prosumer“.
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