The answer needs to be yes.
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Where Are My Residuals?
That was rejected, according to the union.
That proposal was also flat-out rejected, according to the guild.
We had this proposal on the table on day one of negotiations on June 7.
Their answer was, We arent interested in talking about it.
Which, it seems, might be an impossible exercise.
Any concession from the studios on this front would likely require some sort of data transparency.
Data transparency is related to power.
This is a fight about power.
SAG-AFTRAhas suggested using Parrot Analytics content valuation tool to determine the revenue generated by each piece of streaming content.
For each title, a studio gathers a whole host of data including global/U.S.
hours viewed, number of unique accounts that viewed a title, and completion rate for each account.
Its not just about getting the studios to agree, either.
Its also about finding a metric with which the guilds would be satisfied.
Because data, while undeniable, can be used to tell any story.
The challenge with the data is I dont know which story you want to be told.
Thats a different business logic than simply identifying which shows are hits and which are not, Rosen said.
The guild simply wants its members to be fairly compensated for their work in streaming.
Were not wedded to that aspect of the proposal.
That is such a can of worms that [the studios and actors] dont even want to open.
That would cause so much infighting within any union, because you have to make assumptions, Offenberg said.
Its a new concept for the studios.
Its not a new concept for content syndication.
If you have a third party to validate, its a solution.
Thats time tested across multiple industries, he said.
Its not an outrageous thought to have a third party verify.
The question still remains how much to share with the creatives.
But the shift was too fast, and the studios business models couldnt keep up.
The dirty secret of streaming is nobodys profitable, except for Netflix, he said.
And you should share profits with us.
Although, it seems the studios are betting on streaming more and more by the day.
If anything is clear, its that this new era will continue to be less lucrative for all involved.
None of these businesses are going to look like what linear used to look like.
