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Oh, What a Tangled Webisode They Weave

Feb 26, 2007  •  Post A Comment

Hey, remember the odiously monikered “webisodes”? About a year ago, NBC Universal was leading the way in producing short-form original Web content, with much-touted entries for “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Office,” “Eureka” and “Crossing Jordan,” with a plan for “Heroes” webisodes in the fall.

Then sometime in July, webisode production halted when showrunners ceased writing content for them until the WGA and NBC Universal could agree to a clear set of wage minimums.

The guild argues that showrunners deserve more money because the webisodes constitute more work. Last week the fight took a new twist when the National Labor Relations Board shot down NBC Universal’s unfair labor practice complaint against the WGA, giving the guild an initial victory.

Both parties still have pending arbitration complaints on the subject against each other, however, which could take months to resolve.

An NBC spokesman said the network hasn’t backed away from its online ambitions, but has simply concentrated on other forms of added-value Web content for its series.