The Siren Call of the Web

Will the writers’ strike replace Must See TV with Must Stream TV?

Web content firms seem to think so, pointing to deals for increased financing that are popping up during the work stoppage like the $20 million just obtained by upstart Vuze. 

Others note that writers, who previously were not returning calls to Web developers but now are idled by the strike, are now taking calls from companies like Santa Monica-based KushTV.com. It looks like the strike could lead to the Internet as the medium of first choice, where writers can be producer-owners of the content they develop; or at least a lab, where writers can develop fare to take to television. Future series pitches could come with data demonstrating the potential success of content, based on the number of views on a Web site.

Before the writers’ strike, KushTV was in talks to develop scripted webisodes, but now “the volume has really cranked up. I’m getting five times more pitches,” said AJ Vernet, KushTV CEO.

“The Writers Guild has really turned the magnifying glass up, and idle hands are knocking at our door,” he said. “We’re partnering with all writers that are right for us and treating them like producers.”

A selling point: such a site can offer a writer a 30-million person audience in a month to a content developer.

“All we need is a great idea, some careful execution, a Mac book and a few digital cameras,” Vernet said.

KushTV recently made a strategic deal itself, partnering with Contrafilm Partners, an independent production company, providing KushTV with original content to distribute.

Separate from that deal, KushTV will launch its first foray into scripted content, California Inc., an eight-episode series, with each lasting five minutes. KushTV has more than 50 distribution partners, but Vernet said MySpace would be the most logical partner for debuting the series.

As the strike continues, the competitive destinations will continue to multiply.