Universal NBC Battlestar Galactica disgrace
Ask NBC Universal.
A “bar-raising reboot of Battlestar Galactica” was slated to run at the Fox Theatre on Queen Street East in Toronto, said the Torontoist.
What could be better than, “checking it out in high definition on the silver screen, surrounded by a dedicated audience of T.O.’s geek elite?” – it wondered, “Or better yet, doing so while contributing a little something to a good cause, fully secure in your anything-but-Cylon humanity?”
Great idea, especially considering a hefty lump of the proceeds were earmarked for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
With permission from NBC Universal in hand, the Galactic Event was slated to take place yesterday.
“The event suffered a few false starts,” says the Torontonian, going on »»»
“After a failed pitch to SPACE, organizers aimed higher and went straight to the head of TV Operations and Sales at NBC Universal. “[She] said that it’d be the same as a bar running it,” explains Andy Willick, co-owner of the Fox. “She said something to the effect of ‘we couldn’t stop you if we wanted to; I don’t know about it.’ They basically agreed to turn their heads and ignore it.”
With a green light, ticket sales took off, but then, “We were contacted by the same woman who approved it,” Willick says in the story, which continues »»»
“She said that she had made a mistake, that she should have said no right off the bat, and [we] were told to ‘put a bullet in it.’” Willick took the issue to the official’s boss, the Senior Executive for TV at NBC Universal. When told again to axe the screening, Willick countered that there were many such screenings happening across North America, some of which had been a regular occurrence for the entire fourth season of the series. In response, NBC suggested submitting a proposal to be vetted by the network’s legal department in Los Angeles. “We decided to donate the total door proceeds in the hopes that this would satiate them,” says Willick. “On the phone they said something like, ‘this isn’t about being nice.”
And indeed it wasn’t. Driving a final nail through the event’s casket, NBC’s mighty legal department advised the following: “While NBC Universal is supportive of your efforts to help a worthy cause, we regret to inform you that we will not authorize the public exhibition of the Battlestar Galactica finale as described below. Please be advised that any public exhibition of the show in this manner would be in violation of applicable copyright law.”
One would expect nothing less than from a company which believes suing its customers and treating them like dirt makes good business sense.
Torontoist – By Their Command, March 19, 2009
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March 21st, 2009 at 12:18 pm
So, um, what’s the problem? Do it anyway.
March 21st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
ya what are they going to do sue you?
YA your honor we paid the levy burned it and hten had a bunch a people donate to a charity
and invited them who donated to watch off the burned copy
YA sound familiar
March 21st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
“it isn’t about being nice” – quote form unniversal
March 21st, 2009 at 5:09 pm
No wonder copying is rife, Stupid NBC bastards.
March 22nd, 2009 at 2:48 am
This is the finale, right? What could NBC possibly expect to gain by forbidding their viewers from watching it in a better environment?
Another issue: a promise was made to them (”it’s ok to screen this film”), and they acted based on that promise (sold tickets). NBC can’t possibly expect to be able to change their minds on such a thing, and have the courts agree with them, could they? IANAL, but in my high school’s law class introduced me to contract law, and I understand that, in general, a verbal promise counts as a contract in this sort of situation. This being the case, wouldn’t NBC be bound by their original contract to allow the screening?
March 24th, 2009 at 3:17 am
They should have said, sorry too late, tickets have already been sold and we already got the go ahead from you guys, you can’t just change your minds after saying YES.