![]() As part of union-negotiated contracts, streamers still pay residuals, but those back-end payments are hardly the size that casts and crews receive from TV channels. Now, creatives say, their residual income has plummeted as streamers have grown. Residuals were once a cornerstone of an actor's or writer's livelihood, with large checks consistently rolling in as series were syndicated and appeared as reruns. The shifting landscape has alarmed creatives who have already seen their residuals dwindle over the years. "$15 a month is going to cover everything for the rest of time? It’s a nice idea, but it’s not viable." “The idea that everything a company produces will be in one spot forever and ever, for $15 a month, for eternity, is a relatively new concept," Bloys said. What's more, customers have gotten used to hopping among apps to hunt down titles that bounce between them.Ĭasey Bloys, chair and CEO of HBO and HBO Max, said on a recent episode of “The Watch” podcast that streamers are taking a closer look at their libraries and seeing how best to profit. Streamers, Rayburn says, are under no obligation to host shows for years. Instead, streamers have been shopping the programming to rivals, including free, ad-supported streaming TV channels like Tubi, which recently began hosting some HBO shows, including “Westworld." But Rayburn says the companies clearly concluded that the excised shows weren't bringing in enough new customers or significantly aiding retention efforts. How much money streamers save through these erasures is unclear. And the original streamer no longer has to pay residuals. Actors and writers no longer know whether their work will be seen again. Potential viewers might never have a chance to discover it. For those that haven’t, including “Gordita Chronicles,” the effects of their disappearance are widespread. Some of those shows have found new homes. Paramount+, with Showtime integrating into the service, did the same with some of its offerings, including Jordan Peele's revival of “The Twilight Zone." It eliminated the Jeff Daniels-led drama “American Rust,” among others. Then, a few weeks later, Showtime underwent its own culling. Some fans said they missed the last episode. In January, Starz erased a handful of shows including “Dangerous Liaisons,” a costume drama that disappeared from its streaming app days after the finale aired. HBO's 2022 purges - which occurred as its parent company, Warner Bros., merged with Discovery, enabling a slew of tax write-off possibilities - were the most notable example. He cites how Disney's stock nosedived in November after the company revealed that its direct-to-consumer unit, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, lost nearly $1.5 billion in one quarter. “These companies have had to change the way they’re spending on content because Wall Street says you’ve got to get to profitability much faster,” Rayburn says. In a hyper-competitive, changing market, they say, each streamer is trying to balance ample offerings with sheer survival.Īmid the downturn in the tech and media industries, streamers are being pushed to cut spending and turn a profit rather than "chasing growth at all costs,” media analyst Dan Rayburn says. Streaming companies offer this defense: They never promised that shows would live forever. These issues have increased tension between executives and writers amid union contract negotiations that started late last month and could lead to a significant work stoppage this spring. But it brings criticism that they are sidelining already marginalized voices and shortchanging creatives out of already slimmer residual paychecks. ![]() Erasing original shows from their libraries can help streamers get tax write-downs and, to a smaller extent, save on residual payments. But then it’s an added punch to just say, ‘Now we’re going to wipe the evidence of you ever having been here.’”Īs streamers face mounting pressure to save money, several have followed HBO’s lead. “It was as if somebody had broken up with you and then came back to remind you a couple of weeks later that we've broken up," says Riva, who played Cucu's mother. Over 10 episodes, the critically lauded series followed a plus-sized 12-year-old named Cucu as she and her Dominican family adapt to life in 1980s Miami. Fletcher” and numerous animated and reality series.įor Riva, the developments were crushing. ![]() Among others: "Westworld,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Minx,” “Mrs. In December, Riva was floored when she found out that “Gordita Chronicles,” her recently canceled family comedy, would be removed from HBO Max's vast streaming library - one of dozens of shows that HBO last year effectively wiped from existence for U.S. For a performer, it’s a painful, unfortunate part of show business. Actor Diana-Maria Riva is all too familiar with one of her shows being canceled.
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