Studios Cancel Writers Contracts
Posted on January 15, 2008
Filed Under News
It looks like the current television season is officially over as studios have begun canceling their contracts with writers. This effects not only this season which has already been assumed to be over, but next season as well since these contracts were for future shows, pilots, etc.
Here’s my favorite quote from the LA Times article:
“I didn’t see it coming,” Barbara Hall, a writer and producer whose credits include former CBS series “Joan of Arcadia” and “Judging Amy,” told the Times, which said ABC executives gave her the news Friday. “I am not entirely sure what their strategy is, all I know was that I was a casualty of it.”
Didn’t see it coming?! You’re on strike and you didn’t consider that the studios might cancel your contract!? Oh come on, you’ve got to be kidding me. The one thing I will agree with her on is that it’s hard to see what the strategy is from the studios side.
This is a simple formula. No writers = no content = less viewers = less advertisers = less money. The studios are playing a very dangerous game here, very possibly hurting their long term prospects in order to keep from paying writers for content they distribute over the internet.
Maybe this move was meant to freak out the writers who have been certain all along that as content dries up the studios will have no choice but to give in to their demands. Maybe the studios are willing to lose much money in the long run just to win this thing. Like all strikes, the winner will be the one who can stand the suffering the longest. This very well could be a salvo where the studios say “See, we’re willing to shoot off not only our foot, but both damn legs to win this thing!”.
And I still have over 250 movies in my Netflix queue.
Comments
Leave a Reply