AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

The Hollywood Reporter

As SAG continued its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on Thursday, the actors union sent its second report to membership, outlining their position on new media and why it is important to actors.

Focusing on new media, SAG’s Contract 2008 Report, No. 2, indicates that 9 billion videos are watched online every month, with YouTube alone having more than 200 million unique visitors a month.

The report states that the leading 100 media companies will earn $20.7 billion in Internet revenue, with advertisers forecast to spend $2.9 billion annually on online video ads by 2010.

“All this adds up to tremendous opportunities for actors,” the report indicates before outlining recent trends being seen in TV and film.

On the TV side, among some things SAG sees as an opportunity for actors residuals are shows being streamed multiple times before broadcast and content made exclusively for the Internet being created to complement the fall lineup, according to the report.