[KneeCo]

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For all we know, networks might lose money on streaming TV shows because of the bandwidth, with the ads only partially making up for the loss or making it break-even.

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So what?

Seriously, this 'they (say they) aren't making money on the webcasts' argument makes no sense, how do people not see that??

If TV broadcasts of LOST were losing ABC money, are they justified in not paying their writers? No of course not, they are perfectly entitled to cancel the show, but if they keep playing it, even if they are losing money in the process, they have to pay the writers.

No one is striking demanding that ABC put the episodes online (with ads or for purchase) and pay the writers. The writers are only demanding that if ABC decides to do so they pay the people who created that good they are now selling for 1.99/attention to ads.

If things are really how the networks say they are they are entirely justified in promptly canceling the web broadcasts.

Edit to add: BTW, people arguing for the networks, ask yourself why they haven't canceled the webcasts yet. Why, instead, do they expand them all the time, offering more and more shows and advertising the service endlessly? Obviously, they aren't just burning money or altruistically sacrificing revenue in the name of supporting new technology or making sure information is as free as possible. No, they are doing it because they are gaining from it. What they are gaining I don't know - maybe it isn't money directly, maybe it's higher ratings for their tv broadcasts, maybe it's great promotion, maybe it's investing in being as good as possible at what they recognize to be the future of the medium, I don't know.
In any case, they are gaining from the ad supported web broadcasts of episodes online, and the people who created those episodes are being left out in the cold.