Desperate Housewives Goes Online
This is a very exciting piece ofnews. now you’ll be able to watch Desperate Housewives on your computerlegally. I wonder how it will impact TV viewership…I personallywould rather watch it on TV, but when I miss an episodethis service would be fantastic!
When it comes to the digital future, Walt Disney Co.’s pioneeringstrategy seems to be to act quickly and ask questions later. Afterbecoming the first network to sell commercial-free downloaded showsthrough Apple’s iTunes video service last year, ABC revealed Mondaythat it plans a two month “test” offering four primetime shows freeonline via streaming video. Beginning April 30, fans of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Alias and Commander In Chief with access to broadband internet connections will be able to watch the programs on abc.com the day after their television debuts, with each episode carrying a few special, unskippable commercial breaks. But as with the iTunes deal, Disney execs have gone ahead without approvals from affiliates (which carry the shows on local television outlets) or the various guilds and unions who provide talent and crews for the programming. Moreover, it’s unknown how the new approach will impact ratings (the test comes in the middle of sweeps), paid downloads, DVD sales or future syndication sales.
One thing ABC (and other networks) can count on is a drawn-out brouhahawith the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild, and other Hollywoodunions. Unions are already demanding a boost in residuals members earnfor iTunes downloads, and they may ask for additional money coming fromthe new revenues generated by streaming video ad sales. SAG says allunions combined now get a piddling two cents for each $1.99 download,with actors receiving about half of that, and the Writers Guild ofAmerica, which represents scriptwriters, says their residual amounts toless than half a cent. For its part, ABC states that its contractallows the network to pay unions for downloads based upon previouslyagreed rates covering VHS videotape sales, a position that SAG and WGAleaders naturally object to. The industry powerhouses are expected toface off in arbitration, but talks could linger into the next year orso when the unions’ current contracts run out. If things really heatup, it could even result in a strike.
Just last month, leaders of the Writers Guild issued a call to armsagainst the media giants. “Disney and the other companies have refusedfor years to adjust this outdated formula for the DVD market and nowthey are trying to do the same thing with the next generation oftechnology,” said the WGA declaration. “We support those advances butnot without fair compensation for the hardworking men and women whowrite, perform, direct, and otherwise create the very content thatmakes their new revenue streams possible. Rest assured, our Guilds willtake all affirmative legal action within our power to see that thisinequity is resolved to our benefit.”
Regardless of how those compensation schemes are worked out, it’s asafe bet that other networks will follow Disney’s lead. Rafat Ali,editor and founder of the influential business website PaidContent.org,says, “NBC will probably push a lot of their programs through [its newacquisition] iVillage.com, and Fox really hasn’t done much withmarketing or streaming their shows on MySpace.com. But you’ll see muchmore of that happening now.”
Indeed, every network and Internet portal is scrambling to get online.Last month, Warner Bros. Television and AOL launched In2TV, anad-supported streaming video service offering hundreds of vintage showsonline, with upcoming plans for paid downloads as well as originalwebisodes from Punk’d creator Ashton Kutcher and Survivor producer Mark Burnett. CBS has been streaming NCAA basketball games, while also selling CSI and other shows on Google. NBC has become a major content provider to iTunes, and previewed The Office on MySpace before the show hit traditional airwaves.
Fox — the most cautious online programmer of the Big Four —is still treading carefully, but last month the network began offeringFX series Black. White. and the miniseries Thiefon its sister DirecTV satellite system 48 hours before the shows hadtheir premieres on the cable channel. Plans are in the works to do thesame for upcoming episodes of FX’s hits Rescue Me and The Shield. According to recent studies by Points North Group and Horowitz Associates Inc., nearly half (47%) of adults between 18 and 34 said they’d pay to see a show before it runs on traditional broadcast networks. And as long as consumers are willing to part with more money for new viewing opportunities, Hollywood can be counted on to fight over it. via Time
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1 opinion for Desperate Housewives Goes Online
Desperate Housewives - Amas de Casa Desesperadas
Dec 22, 2006 at 5:45 pm
[...] Wow, is it just me or does this sound a bit strange? ABC and some Argentinian channel are producing a Amas de casa desesperadas, the Argentinian version of Desperate Housewives. They’re using the same scripts and characters but reshooting the show in Spanish. Don’t they usually just use subtitles or dub it over in another language? I wonder how the show will do ratings wise when it starts airing in August. I’d love to watch an episode of it so I hope they have them available for download like they do with the American version. Check out this article all about the show: [...]
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