The WGA strike is over. After months without work, and income, it’s a tremendous relief for everyone. It will be years before the WGA’s true victories can be understood, but significant gains appear to have been made toward establishing guild jurisdiction over content produced for the web. One of the main areas of contention between the WGA and the AMPTP was residual payments for content distributed via the internet. I’m kind of a moron when it comes to talking about numbers. I never really got above Algebra 1. So my understanding of what 4% of distributors gross — the new internet residual formula — actually means as applied to streaming of episodes, is pretty much nil.
One thing I have a better handle on is the streaming window the WGA acceded to the AMPTP. During this period of time, it varies between 17, and 26 days, the networks can stream episodes of tv shows, without applying the residual formula. Essentially getting a free rerun. In theory, I didn’t have a problem with some sort of streaming window. There is already a precedent for this kind of thing, where the network can rerun a show during it’s first week on the air, without paying a residual fee.
But then I started to think about some of the things we do at HEROES.
We stream EPISODES of our show on the web the day after they air on broadcast. But we also stream an episode of the show that has cast/crew VIDEO COMMENTARY streaming alongside it. The viewer can flip back and forth between the two video streams at their leisure. (This was my idea, so I only have myself to punch in the head for this one. Doh!) We also stream an episode of our show that includes POP UP TEXT information about what’s happening on screen. Little clues, and insights into the show. There are plans for a feature that will allow fans of the show to gather online and watch a streaming version of the show, via chat client. So they can share comments as they watch, and exchange social currency with each other. I think ABC has a version of this up and running for LOST.
So that’s FOUR potential versions of the show that are available online. The day after the show is broadcast. And we’ve found that our fans watch ALL of them. They watch the show on the air. And then they watch EVERY version of the show online. Sometimes they watch them MULTIPLE times. When do they do this? During the week the show is broadcast, in preparation for the following week’s episode.
So during that streaming window, one individual may be watching an episode of television as many as FOUR times. And after that streaming window — they’re watching the NEXT episode FOUR times. So if most of the traffic hits for an episode come during that streaming window, by a significant multiple. 4x?
What exactly will the WGA be getting residuals on?
I’m sure I’m wrong about this. I’m wrong about most things. I didn’t think there was going to be a war in Iraq. I didn’t think George Bush was going to be elected president. So I’m sure I’m missing something here. I’m sure these present day, real world, non-hypothetical, metrics were factored into the decision to give up a residual claim to the streaming window.
But like I said, it will be years before the WGA’s true victories can be understood.
Hey Jesse,
This is off the topic a little, but I wanted to ask you a quick question, if you don’t mind, and I don’t see an email address here. So hopefully you’ll actually get this.
So, I am an aspiring writer living here in LA. Now that the strike is over, I’m hoping shows will start hiring and I’ll be able to land myself a decent job somewhere. I am working on a pilot of my own, but I’d really like to get a job working as a writer, or a writer’s assistant, whatever, just so that I’m working with other writers. I was curious if you had any advice on where I should look, who I should talk to, who I should bribe, whatever. I do work in entertainment now, but I’m nowhere near any writing team.
Could you give me a little advice on where I should begin. I don’t mind being an assistant until I’ve proven my worth, but I’m not sure where I should be focusing my energy. Any ideas?, I’d love to hear em. And keep up the good work, congrats on getting back to business.
Hi! I’d send out letters, faxes, cold-calls, to shows that are in production and tell them you are looking for an assistant job. Just call their production offices. The numbers are usually available in the trades. And tell them you want to get your name in the mix. If you want to break into TV as a writer — write a spec script of an existing show to go along with your original. Just pick your favorite show and crank out an ep for it. But just know that if you write a LOST, it won’t get you on LOST. A BSG won’t get you on BSG. Good luck! And don’t give up!