In Saturday’s “The Daily Loper”, I linked to a Los Angeles Times about the Hollywood guilds and their clamor for better treatment when it comes to download royalties. Make no mistake about it — the guilds (SAG, DGA, WGA, etc) might have chosen to play nice when it came to DVD royalties, but it wasn’t due to lack of interest. They were saving their energy for the real battle: downloadable media.
The LAT and Hollywood Reporter have made note of this brewing battle: the first target in the guilds’ sights is ABC. Which makes sense considering the popularity of Lost and Desperate Housewives.
Right now, Hollywood is in a bit of disarray (note to studios: never let them see you in disarray). Some studios treat downloads similarly to television; others are taking the “same as DVD approach”. While both treatments will ultimately come under scrutiny, it is those studios who use the so-called home video royalty calculation who will be on the front lines. Reason?