Foreign Series Take Root in U.S. Soil for Reel • Indie Programming Selection
aaaMay_2008 5/7/08 6:30 PM Page 2 THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, BROADBAND, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION MAY 2008 VOL. 28 NO. 3 $9.75 L.A. Screenings Guide ® www.videoage.org Challenges As Opportunities: Foreign Series Take Writers Strike Benefited Indies Root in U.S. Soil BY ERIN SOMERS BY LEAH HOCHBAUM ROSNER While many have speculated that fewer n the industry all are well aware of the Hollywood writers strike’s effects on his year, the pilot process is pilots might become the norm during upcoming TV seasons worldwide and the changes to the U.S. television industry. somewhat different. It had to future pilot seasons, others believe that It remains to be seen if these changes are going to be permanent, as predicted, be, what with the time next year, things will go back to the way or just temporary, as hoped. constraints imposed by the they were in a pre-strike world. The big lengthy Writers Guild of However, little has been said about (Continued on Page 54) the effects –– one way or another –– America strike in of the strike on the U.S. the U.S. Iindependents and foreign television TLast year, the U.S. TV China’s Foreign TV Content production and distribution companies. networks commissioned At first sight, many independents seemed their typical number of Viewed With Contempt to have come out of the strike unscathed, pilots (ABC had 29; CBS, BY LEVI SHAPIRO and a lucky few even saw some benefits. 21; CW, 12; Fox, 24; and VideoAge spoke to a cross-section of NBC, 20).
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