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Writers Strike Could Fuel Huge Acceleration in Digital Convergence

Submitted by dshafer on December 16, 2007 - 3:55pm.

UPDATE

Today's (Monday, 12/17) newspapers carried a story out of LA that said, "Dozens of striking writers are negotiating with venture capitalists to set up new companies that would bypass the Hollywood studio system and reach consumers directly with video entertainment on the Web."

I'm finding myself increasingly intrigued by and sucked into the so-called "Digital Convergence" technology trend. Not that the trend is new but it seems to me to be gathering steam on a lot of different fronts, prodded by a number of different initiatives.

One current development I think could have a tremendous impact on the acceleration of the video-over-Internet as a replacement (in some part at least) for broadcast TV is the current writers' strike. The media companies that are resisting paying the deserving writers anything for their contribution to the success of the digital distribution of their wares may find themselves looking at the rear end of a rapidly vanishing bus if they keep up their greedy ways.

I can envision a number of new Internetworks coming together and hiring these writers to produce original content for which they are handsomely rewarded. Then, when the broadcast TV industry finally comes to its senses and does the right thing by the writers, the latter won't really care to work for the slave wages and under the exploitative conditions they have been content with for far too long.

I'm surprised, as I reflect on it, that Net video hasn't already supplanted even more of broadcast TV, given its tremendous advantages:

  • Everything is or can be on demand.
  • Length of shows is content-driven rather than time-slot driven.
  • Interactivity comes along almost for free.
  • The ability to create successful narrow vertical networks that build around and enhance community is almost unfettered.
  • "Subscription" models can guarantee revenue levels.

I'm sure I'm overlooking dozens more. This is a space that is set to explode in the next six months and if the writers' strike continues, I think it accelerates the process enormously.

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