TV Angel

A blog at the Hollywood Reporter website stated that a SAG strike will primarily impact the film industry, compared to the WGA strike which largely impacted television. The sentiment was reiterated in an article at the site that speculates that a SAG strike might actually benefit indie production companies. But such a premise takes a very broadcast-centric view of television and ignores the effects of a strike on cable nets.

The television industry is only now taking notice of a shift that has seen cable nets on an upswing, in terms of the success of their original programming. TNT, for instance, has created the Emmy nominated hit series The Closer and plans to ramp up its slate of original programming. USA has been the top rated cable net all year, thanks in part to original series Monk, which aired new episodes during the writers’ strike.

Summer has seen the launch of a number of highly touted new shows in the last few years. Granted, a SAG strike would depress movie production over the summer. But it would also serve to undermine the gains being made by cable networks. Several shows like Entourage and Big Love on HBO, and The Starter Wife, on USA have already had their upcoming seasons delayed by the writers’ strike. A SAG strike would prevent those shows from producing a new season altogether.

The loss of momentum that cable nets have been building could be a severe blow to television’s burgeoning hotspot. Most broadcast network shows have yet to see ratings anything near their pre-strike numbers. Even the great and powerful American Idol has seen its ratings drop by 20% from the season-to-date average. But a bad night for AI is still more than more than 20 million viewers whereas, a great night for a show like The Closer is less than half that, so that a loss of viewership would disproportionately affect cable nets.

The Big Four might still be the dominant forces on the television landscape but cable nets like USA, TNT, and even ABC Family are staking their claims, both on viewers and advertising dollars. Any analysis of a possible strike by the Screen Actors Guild can’t overlook the impact of a strike on cable’s recent success.