I actually side with the writers on that one. As their efforts go into making the product, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to make a percentage of DVD sales, mobile phone video sales, etc.
My generation was subjected to constant abuse from the big media companies in that us downloading movies and songs and TV shows online was taking away a paycheck from a hardworking blue-collar individual just trying to make it in Los Angeles. And now those companies sell DVDs and shows via the internet without paying those workers a portion of the proceeds from the sales of those products they helped create? Yeah, that's logical.
To be clear, the writers already do get residuals from DVD sales, but it's only 4 cents per DVD sold. And they don't get any residuals from internet downloads. Those terms were negotiated years ago, when home video sales and internet distribution were a much smaller piece of the studios' revenues. Now that those things have grown so much, the writers want a bigger slice of that pie. The studios are resisting in part because they're afraid that if they give bigger residuals to the writers, there'll be pressure to give similar increases to the directors and actors.
