Disney Refutes Union's Online Revenue Claim

[disneytim]

In New York City today, Disney fired back at the Writers' Guild of America in answer to a leafleting campaign by the striking union at Manhatten's World of Disney store.

Responding to claims by the union that Disney hasn't paid a single dollar of its $1.5 billion digital revenue to writers, ABC Television issued a statement denouncing the union:

The WGA leadership is deliberately distorting the facts. As the WGA knows full well, more than half of Disney's digital revenues are from sales of travel packages and the vast majority of the rest is from online advertising on sites like Disney.com and ESPN.com and through online merchandise sales.

The WGA also knows its members have been paid residuals on entertainment content downloaded via iTunes. Deliberately misleading the public is not the best way to resolve this issue and get Hollywood back to work.

The leafleting campaign was spearheaded by the WGA's east coast branch. They've been targeting a different venue tied to the major media companies each day since the strike began on November 5th.

Source: Reuters

[KENfromOC]

Re: Disney Refutes Union's Online Revenue Claim

In television production you have basically 2 levels of production staff: "Above the line" and "Below the line". Above the line staff includes the writers, as well as directors, producers, and up. All receive some sort of residuals, if fact if a show is "repackaged" (such as when "Ally McBeal" was repackage as the half-hour "Alley" a few years back) all above the line people (and actors) get full 100% pay again, plus new residuals on that repackaged show (while they are still making resids on the old show). Quite often they have nothing to do with this repackaging as the producers merely have it re-edited. - Get it so far?
"Below the line" production staff include editors, grips, PA's, etc. - They get nothing in the way of residuals except possibly a bonus when the show is renewed (granted by the producer, but not required). Therefore all the while these writers are on strike, these "below the line" folks get nothing and can never recoup the loss. They are out of work until this thing is resolved, and that includes caterers, limo services, local restaurants, and anything in the area that supports this business.

While the studios indeed need to address the online and digital issues, I cannot support the writers as they are causing major hardship to others! Are the writers willing, once they get their contract, to help pay these folks mortgages, etc.? No way. THEY NEED TO GET THEIR BUTTS BACK TO WORK! Write without a contract as you negotiate and help the little people "below the line" to be able to have a good holiday!!! And no, I do not work in this business!