Some people have no sense of timing. For example, why do the TV and movie studios choose to fight the Writers Guild of America over pennies on a corporate scale, when they could be greeting a new golden age for filmed entertainment?
There's plenty of evidence of the potential for greatness in the entertainment industry. For example, the annual Consumer Electronics Show is winding down in Las Vegas, and the coverage is nearly unanimous: The television is one of the hottest gadgets on the market again. From OLED screens to 150-inch plasma sets and Wi-Fi-enabled TVs, the love buzz is all about the American living room.
Starting early next year, TV viewers will get digital signals or nothing at all, as the government's deadline to phase out analog broadcasts arrives. Digital flat-screen TV prices have plummeted as Hitachi, Sony
TiVo
On top of all that, News Corp
My editors might egg my house if I called this a perfect storm, but it is what it is. I can't think of another time in history when conditions were so ripe for making huge profits off entertainment-hungry consumers. All the elements are in place. Well, except for one: no new content, courtesy of writers on strike.
If I were the CEO of a media business such as Disney
There's money to mint, and you might as well spread the wealth fairly. There'll be plenty left over for shareholder returns and executive bonuses.
Further Foolishness: