Great post here from Marc Andreesen on the Hollywood writers' strike -- worth a full read. If the movie and TV bosses really think this is the right time for a showdown with their talent over a few pennies on the dollar in royalties, they may be in for a nasty surprise. The longer the strike lasts, the more writers will discover the new distribution channels that are making the large studios obsolete. It won't take long for new media companies to take their place...
For SNL's unveiling of studio head hypocrisy, check out these videos which NBC then tried to remove from the Web.
During the last writers strike in 1988, most people saw their favourite shows fizzle out over 22 weeks, but they did not hear much from the writers themselves. This time the impact the backlash will be far greater -- so much TV and Web programming is just-in-time, written-yesterday, current-events-led. And the writers' have more avenues to influence public opinion (blogs, YouTube, social networks, whole pages on Flickr devoted to the picket lines, etc) than their bosses could ever imagine.
The incredible irony here is that the studios are alienating the very talent AND the very consumers who just might have been able to save them from obsolescence....
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