Adotas

Where media buyers start online

Featured Author

Author Photo

DM Confidential is a leader in the Affiliate marketplace. The DM Confidential Newsletter and web site is focused on the online marketing industry. To read more from DM Confidential visit: www.dmconfidential.com

More articles by DM Confidential





Opinions

When Writers Strike

Written on
December 17th 2007
Author
by DM Confidential  |
Feed
   XML Feed

The exact issues are extremely complex as it involves an already overly complex, and many would say outdated, system for determining compensation. We spent hours trying to understand the specifics only to come away shaking our heads, unsurprised that the two sides would find it hard to modify their existing methods to the ever increasing in importance but hard to predict future of digital media consumption. Ron Grover sums it up best in his Business Week article, “Hollywood union strikes have never been a dainty affair. On one side, you usually have powerful people with tons of money and even weightier egos. On the other side, you often have famous people (who also happen to have some money and fair-sized egos) and people who aspire to be famous (and one day have the wealth and ego-boost that fame brings). So as the writers’ strike heads toward its seventh week with no end in sight, you know there won’t be a quick, easy, or quiet end to the walkout called by the 8,000-member Writers Guild of America.”

The WGA wants change, but their choice in timing could use some improvement as, in our view, it looks like the equivalent of Yahoo employees deciding to strike right after Google AdWords launched. In the case of Google, they didn’t need Yahoo to strike to become the dominant player. Just as the eventual victor here might not need this group to go on strike, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Regardless, the WGA strike looks ready to end badly for them, not the least of which is a seemingly scripted but real plot twist - a contract renewal coming up with yet another group, the Directors Guild of America, one that has a much less contentious reputation with “the suits,” and if they come to an agreement before the WGA, it could lay the groundwork for the latter to end up with something even less than what they might get now. The suits have already started giving money back to advertisers; NBC returned $10 million, because this season’s eyeballs didn’t meet expectations, so it doesn’t come as a surprise why they might take their time before trying to give out more.

This waiting game means a lot of things; for example, we know it will mean much more reality show content, and it looks to change, if not table, the new show rollout process, i.e. the pilot season. All of which has us believing that with all eyes online (plot twists and extra complications aside), the real winner will be those already in the digital media space. Advertisers, fed up with the existing system will more quickly embrace what online offers or at the least start to see it as not just emerging but immediate. Likewise those who make content online could now find new models in place for the adaptation of their content to the broader screens. The writers might have started this but they only validate what investors and users have already displayed. Fans of “Lost”, “Heroes”, “24″ and other so-called scripted shows might lose out just as the writers have, but it might become a small sacrifice for the opportunities and security that comes from the brighter future of online.

Editor
DM Confidential
www.dmconfidential.com

Compliments of DM Confidential



Pages: « previous page 1 2

No Tags
Article Sponsor

More Opinions

Reader Comments.

I wrote about the writer’s strike over a month ago in my blog (http://018c49a.netsolhost.com/blog1/?p=63)

While I’ll be the first to say that writing is a talent, it can’t be hard in this day and age of finding adequate talent from the audience pool working together, at least for keeping plots going until the strike is over.

But creative talent in a digital age can come from anywhere and old media just has to wake up…

Posted by Joseph "Giuseppe" Zuccaro | 3:38 pm on December 17, 2007.

Leave a Comment

Add a comment


Spotlight

Turn VP: Ad Network Shakeout “Inevitable”ADOTAS EXCLUSIVE – Turn bills itself as the world’s first Smart Market for online advertising. Turn’s VP of product and [...] more...

Adotas Partnership