Hollywood writers, studios spar over digital works

Hollywood's rush to offer programs on the Web, iPods and cell phones may be slowed by growing resistance from writers and actors who want a bigger slice of revenues from digital media. ZDNet reports.

"Compensation for digitally delivered media threatens to be among the more hotly debated topics in contract talks with unions representing writers, actors and directors over the next two years and could hold up some studios' plans, industry experts said.

"There's a lot of confusion out there," Mike McNulty, national director of communications for SAG, told Reuters. "There's a lot of gray. The real crux of the thing is which formula the studios are going to pay under," he said.

... "We're at the earliest stage of seeing the influence and impact of this new media on audiences, advertising, piracy and on our traditional business models," a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers trade group, said. "Some of these things are strictly promotional," she said.

But writers argue they should be compensated and that the networks do, in fact, reap advertising dollars from streaming their works online even if they call it promotional. "

... The studios and talent are currently operating under labor contracts that predate the latest technologies and are ambiguous in terms of what pay structures should apply to content delivered beyond television or movie screens."

emily | 4:38 PM | Copyright Protection |
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