AMC and OLTL Will Move Online!

[ER Tosh]

So did today really happen??

[SFK]

I know, right?

[JackPeyton]

Pretty much.

I am not 100% sure, but i believe the cast/crew have been released of tehir contracts as of their last tape date and were made free agents to go looking for other work, and some have already (not just DM...). They new company will have to work out new contracts, and as discussed i doubt this will go over well. The soap stars already bitch about small pay cuts, and this will likely be MASSIVE. AFTRA/SAG are interesting here too, to what extend do they cover strictly online content? are their different minimums? there is so much gray area here. It will very interesting to see this all play out. The best thing to look at for this is really The Bay, as when they made it for the web they had intentions of seeling them in 30min syndicated blocks if possable as well. I am not sure about any of the answers i posed though.

Do we know if ABC approached them? I would bet it was the other way around.

A [!@#$%^&*] PLUS on that jamey/perez comparison. exactly. spot on.

Umm... can you figure out when/how I can see Being Erica season 4? Will soapnet air it?

Sorry, its all ir eally care about when it comes to soapnet, lol.

This was so funny. The people who took her serious made me LOL.

[Khan]

Exactly.

[alexisfan07]

Another message from Jerry

"Thank you for getting it done. And it was Fan Response who got this accomplished. You overcame corporate indifference and oltl will live on for many years. Until this moment, nothing like this has ever been done. Love, jerry/clint"

Love him, he's such a classy man. Sure sounds like he'd be willing to stay on to me!

[Ben]

This is great and all... well, depending on what the finished product will look like, as others have pointed out, the bigger cast will cost more than the newbies, and it's unlikely that OLTL will be able to keep their large cast, so I don't really think I could stomach watching OLTL with the Fords and all the newbies with a sprinkling of fan faves.

However, from a purely selfish perspective, what does this mean for international fans? And I mean the ones that watch via other online means. What is the chances that the shows will be available to people outside of the US?

[Khan]

[SFK]

There are no minimums. But as SAG points out, there are minimum wage laws (I don't know how all that works). In AFTRA's literature, they say in so many words that New Media such as web series aren't yet proven money makers, and when/if that day comes, amendments will be made (i.e., minimums set). As for now, a web series producer can get a signatory agreement with either union so he can hire union actors and make his/her series more legit, not unlike a director getting a SAG short film/low-budget agreement (which has a $100/day minimum for talent, btw... but a director can always pay more, say if he really wants a *name* actor in his piece and offers her 10 x minimum... I think we'll be seeing this basic approach [except they'll be setting their own minimums] along with some very judicious casting decisions).

For those who don't know, currently all of the soaps have AFTRA contracts (AFTRA has some primetime contracts too, I think most of the FX and USA shows are with them?) while SAG dominates primetime. AFTRA and SAG share New Media. As I said in an earlier post, I'm sure AFTRA doesn't want to lose these soaps to SAG (AMC and One Life MUST sign with either union or all of their actors are in violation) and I wouldn't be surprised if some AFTRA higher ups started scrambling when they heard this news. The money has arrived.

Further reading:

How are Web Series covered?

Web series, or webisodes, are covered under the SAG New Media Agreement.

What is the performer Pay Scale for New Media productions?

Initial pay is negotiable under the SAG New Media Agreement. There are no minimums under this contract; however, state and federal minimum wage laws still apply.

http://www.sag.org/new-media-ent-contract-faq

http://www.aftra.com/documents/MFNM_Exhibit_A_FINAL.pdf

[Khan]

Haven't they already?

[Khan]

Let's put it this way: even if the contingent of AMC and OLTL fans who watch shows on the Internet already and/or would be willing to transition, if you will, to this new platform is a small one, nevertheless, PP and their investors now have a built-in audience upon which to build the rest of their programming and help make their new venture grow. And that, as they say, is better than nothing.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to seeing how this ultimately plays out. Will AMC and/or OLTL be as they are right now @ ABC? Probably not - and depending on how you look at it, too, that could be a huge blessing, or a massive curse. Chances are, not every actor will want to participate (although, let's be frank, between the rotten economy, the hit-or-miss track record of daytime actors succeeding elsewhere in the entertainment industry, and the simple fact that most actors will be working online eventually, some of them, at least, would be foolish just to turn it down automatically); but if PP is smart, they will concentrate their efforts more on securing those actors who are, indeed, guaranteed draws for their respective shows.

Of course, the important thing to remember - not just right now, but always - is the quality of the writing. If these (or any) shows want this experiment to be successful and long-lasting, then the writers have to bring it. Even "as good as right now" won't cut it, writing-wise. AMC and OLTL's writers must improve or we might as well just forget this whole thing.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

Anybody have the direct link to Prospeck Park to watch the shows? I've tried googleing it but all I get is the park in New York and articles about the soaps. Thanks.

[marceline]

An hour long show on Hulu comes out to about 43 minutes even with the web ads so for the shows to run a full hour online they'd actually have to make the shows longer and they aren't going to do that. I could go for three "full-length" eps a week as long as they have time to write them and rehearse them and make them decent.

[DRW50]

In the early 90's she almost made a cameo on Loving, through her friend Linda Cook. They should have her come on and make this a Loving/OLTL/AMC revival.

[Eric83]

Loved him as Ross on GL, and Clint so I hope he sticks around.

Still can't believe this.

We have no idea yet. Prospect Park hasn't released any info on all of that yet.

[RoseVioletDaisy]

The shows should be available outside the US once they're online-only. Online, it doesn't cost more to be available everywhere. It's only the amount of viewers streaming that costs money, not where they're connecting from. Right now, the shows are limited to US-only viewers on ABC's network website because CTV has the rights to the show in Canada and ABC has no legal right to cut into CTV and it's ad buyers' exclusive access to Canadian viewers. Canadian viewers who want to watch the shows online are supposed to watch them at ctv.ca not abc.com. I don't know how many other countries the shows currently air in but I assume similar deals apply. Once the show is online-only, there is no legal reason to limit viewership, unless a TV station in a foreign country starts airing them, then they probably won't be available for streaming in that particular country.