Hollywood Writer’s May Strike | They Want Their Share of DVD Sales
Hollywood writer’s are threatening to strike. Woe is me!
One of the key financial issues bugging the Writer’s Guild is the poor deal they are getting on DVD revenue. They want the current formula, which was conceived when VHS was an experiment, changed. They also want a share of the money made from material offered online and via other digital platforms.
Studios are not real keen on increasing DVD royalties and they say the digital market is too young to know what kind of money will be made there.
Currently, writers receive only about 3 cents per $20 DVD. They would like to see that amount doubled and include digital distribution as well. Sounds reasonable.
While I agree that they are getting the shaft on DVD royalties, don’t feel too sorry for them yet. According to Forbes, These royalties are in addition to a hefty salary. A veteran writer makes at least a low six figure salary plus an additional $30,000 per episode for “written by” credit on an hour long show.
While the deadline has passed without a strike, many believe a strike is still imminent. If a strike does occur, late night programming will be the first casualty. Most scripted shows have been filmed weeks in advance and will be safe for a while. But remember, the 1988 strike went on for 22 weeks. I don’t think I can bear to be without my shows for that long!
One thing about it, if a strike does happen, DVD sales will probably shoot through the roof. Let’s face it, who wants to watch inferior reality programming or reruns loaded with commercials when you could break out the old favorites on DVD to enjoy commercial free.
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November 5th, 2007 at 7:58 am
[...] Out the DVDs, the Writers are on Strike by Debbie As of midnight last night, the WGA is on strike. Last minute negotiations failed and an agreement could not be [...]