The Beginning of a Beautiful Relationship…

So, I’m sure by now that you all have heard of the ongoing writers strike. I’m not exactly sure how anyone could have missed it, but that’s beside the point. The reason was a little unclear to me until a couple of days ago when I decided to do a little bit of my own research. It turns out that all this commotion is over Youtube and other internet content. Yes, Youtube is once again the culprit. The writers feel that they are being unfairly treated when it comes to being payed for online content of their works. You may or may not remember a couple of years ago when the writers for the hit show, The Office, created a number of “webisodes.” They were not payed for them.

Now, I just so happened to have been catching up on season 4 of The Office last night when it dawned on me, why shouldn’t they be payed for online airings of their programming? It’s not like ABC or NBC are losing money by allowing viewers to watch their programming online. They have ads that play during the stream, and whoever bought the time is getting quite a deal because I was definitely hammered by them.

The bottom line is that it makes sense for writers to be payed for online content. There are plenty of people like me who watch shows online. Last night alone I saw three different shows being streamed by separate people. It’s time studios started to view the internet as a medium equivalent to television. In some ways the advertising possibilities are even more intimate and personable. I’m not saying this because I want to watch new episodes of my favorite shows, I’m saying this because it’s only fair.

Welcome to the new film and entertainment blog. I can already see that this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship…

Kevin Haugen