Is the AMPTP negotiating in good faith?
Members of the AMPTP continue to tell their stockholders about the millions to be made from new media, while telling the WGA that the Internet is new, unproven, and risky, and that streaming of TV shows is “promotional”. Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC had this to say in explanation of why NBC pulled their shows off iTunes and helped launch Hulu.com: “Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content, and made a lot of money,” Zucker said. “They did not want to share in what they were making off the hardware or allow us to adjust pricing.” “Zucker argued that the 50 million streams of TV shows that had been accessed on NBC.com during the month of October prove there is a demand for traditional TV series on the Web. ‘It’s extraordinary,’ he said of NBC.com. ‘It’s like a small cable channel in our universe that is becoming very successful. (Variety, Tuesday 10/30/07) If the companies think streaming shows and movies on the Internet is strictly promotional
