In the case of Lost, that number would be about 5% of an average live broadcast audience.  And since it’s spread over an entire month, really it’s a drop in the bucket.  However, let us remember a couple of things.  First, these figures don’t include sites like Hulu.com.  As far as I am concerned, Hulu features a viewing experience far preferable to any of the network sites, and in cases where it doesn’t just forward the viewer to the network, is probably representative of a comparable number of views.  Meanwhile, in December when these measurements were taken… Lost wasn’t on yet!  The numbers reflect people getting excited to remember all the plot twists before the show returned in January.  We should expect January numbers to be much higher, and February (which would be the first month to have a new episode each Wednesday) to be higher still.

Now recall that, per the 2008 strike settlement, writers make zero dollars during the first seventeen days following network broadcast.  The studios claimed they needed a “promotional” period (never mind that the “promotional” period follows the broadcast…)  They claimed revenues currently are so small that they cannot possibly share.  It is far too early, they said, to know how the internet will play out, or to discuss paying any money to the people who created the content they’re using to forge a new revenue stream for themselves.  Well, I caught Grey’s via the net recently, and I watched Jack-in-the-Box wheeled into a hospital multiple times.  I not only didn’t (couldn’t) fast forward through the commercials like on my TiVo, but–due to the obnoxious repetetiveness–I still remember what the commercial was for, a week later, and I sorta feel like having a Meaty Breakfast Burrito.  Someone made some money, and the writers deserve a percentage.  It doesn’t matter if that percentage is small, but it does matter that there’s a percentage.

Joss Whedon recently spoke about the economics of  Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a pioneering effort to develop new content for the internet, and to redefine the business model of production.  In a Wharton interview, he summed up the strike’s results nicely:

We can’t accept anything remotely like [our current situation] with the studios.

When the studios talk about the difficulty of monetizing the Internet, they’re not lying. There are a lot of paradigms wherein you aren’t making that much money. But it’s all pure money for them because they have these libraries they can just put on. They’re really not interested in putting on original stuff because they can just throw the libraries on and make free money off of that. None of us is in that position.

For [the studios] not to offer the creative community a percentage of what they make — they say, “oh, it’s too difficult” and “we’re not going to make any money” — is disingenuous to the point of criminality. What they’re making is pure profit. For them to shut out the people who actually created the content is something that should be looked into by a federal investigatory committee.

That really says it all.  Whatever money you’re making, networks, share.

Skip the first two paragraphs and get to the meat of a great article:

TV 101: An Open Letter to TV Executives About Why You Should Stop Worrying and Learn to Love PIRACY

Of course, from the moment producers made the call to give hosting responsibilities to the five nominees in the new category of reality show host, failure was written on the wall. Those personalities promptly proved how unworthy they are of the responsibility (and of having a category) by intentionally opening the show unprepared. Really? Following a major writers’ strike, you’ve chosen to slap that portion of the industry in the face? Their plan tanked, of course. Thanks, at least, for proving that there is a REASON that performers have chosen for centuries to have something prepared before stepping onto stage or screen.

There was a time when awards shows ran long, partly out of too many thank-yous to agents and moms. Somewhere in the last decade or so, someone implemented the orchestra cut-off technique. But let’s ask ourselves: Has this been an improvement? Certainly not in the case of this year’s Emmys, at least. Certainly not when conversations of free speech are truncated, yet skits from the reality crowd are allowed to run forever.

Other thoughts.

• Jeremy Piven is good on Entourage. But three years in a row?

• Amy Smart? Samantha Who? is decent, but her selection above Amy Poehler or Kristin Chenoweth?

• Steve Carrell managed to be the best part of the Emmys again, again without winning anything.

• Thank goodness the 30 Rock crowd is starting to get their due. Here’s hoping some viewer numbers follow.

• The Josh Groban theme song medley was lame. Obviously he’s this amazing singer, and he pulled of some pretty excellent vocal acrobatics in his attempt at comedy. But several years back, when Jason Alexander did the same damn thing, only funny, there was a wink. No wink, no funny. Nostalgia and recognition don’t equal entertainment. That’s why the whole Epic Movie franchise fails to offer a bit of substance. What can we expect, I guess, from show producers who OK-ed an opening with no script?

• Tommy Smothers was sharp. The Laugh In reunion, however, was cringe-worthy. Both were presentation by personalities 40 years past their heyday. So perhaps there’s something to be learned about the aspect of comedy that will allow one to survive a generational shift. It’s not about jokes, but about timing.

At the second I write this, I’m looking at the first delegate estimate that puts Obama ahead of Clinn-ton (you have to say it like a Simpsons alien) in the delegate count. This is despite the insider advantage over superdelegates that has kept her (artificially?) in the lead until now. She’s still polling better than he is, but check the scoreboard:

Democrat delegate count

Note the almost 3-to-1 results in my home state of Washington, thenkyaverrmuch! Meanwhile, polls are supporting what he’s been saying about being the best candidate against McCain:

Clinton vs. McCain
Obama vs. McCain

A couple of weeks ago, I randomly predicted to some of my students that it would be Texas that put Obama over the top. If momentum is as important as they say, I might just wind up looking like a freakin’ political genius.

Variety

Networks, the first one of you to cut the time given over to commercials will suddenly see a massive rush of viewers to your programming. You can then charge a premium for your commercials and product placement, satisfying both your audience AND the ever-growing corporations that are now your masters. It’ll work, I promise! Please try? ]]> http://www.screenwriterguy.com/2007/09/29/how-pepsi-and-nike-destroyed-western-culture/feed/ 9