It seems like just a few hours ago we were lamenting the death of cable television. Oh wait we were, and now we’ve learned that Warner Brothers has cut 10% of its staff, also known as 800 jobs, due to diminishing DVD sales and audiences, “Lower television licensing fees and a drop in home video sales also accounted for the recent decline, the company said.”
What’s that? Fewer people are buying movies and watching the tube? No kidding! But shh, don’t tell NBC that or they’ll get all worried about their Super Bowl, which still has open spots (Only $3 million to get in, buy while they’re luke warm)! Why is this happening? Because right now a person can hop over to buttermouth.com and find every Web site that streams hijacked video. Why else? Because right now a person can walk around New York and buy a bootlegged copy of the Dark Knight for $3.
Well, all that and the CW blows goats. C’mon. Smallville is still on the air? And a quick check to the WB Web site found that among the top rated shows on the channel are…eh hem…Night Court and Murphy Brown.
Dear Warner Bros., the 1980s and 1990s called…
Raise your hand if you’re a media buyer and you’re not looking forward to this year’s up-fronts. In the sea of faces, we imagine there are many hands aloft.
All this WB hoopla sort of explains why the company was so hellbent on keeping 20th Century Fox’s grubby hands off the upcoming WatchMen flick. Remember how 20th Century Fox claimed they owned distribution rights to the movie, even though the WB produced it?