This is kind of scary:

NBC and other companies have already used the strike to terminate millions of dollars of long-term production contracts. Mr Zucker is planning to go further by cutting back enduring features of the television business, including the pilot season, in which networks develop programmes, and the splashy "upfront" presentations in which they tout them to advertisers.

"Things like that are all vestiges of an era that's gone by and won't return," Mr Zucker told the Financial Times.

He made his remarks in the midst of a three-month labour strike by Hollywood writers that has cost thousands of jobs, placed a drag on California's economy and raised questions about the future of the business.

Network executives say the economic model that has sustained television is no longer tenable as production costs soar while audiences fragment among cable channels, websites and video games. One chief complaint concerns the pilot season, in which they fund dozens of samples of new programmes – typically at several million dollars apiece – hoping to unearth a hit.

Mr Zucker appears emboldened to make changes as NBC's audience ratings have improved in the strike's wake, mostly thanks to inexpensive reality shows.

"I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that's what's happened here," he said of the strike, predicting that "the development process will change forever."

Why do I get the feeling that most of Mr. Zucker's prior business experience was in the exciting field of ball bearing manufacture or something similar?

I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that's what's happened here," he said of the strike

Too bad programming executives won't get buried under this seismic event.

I wonder if Mr. Zucker considers his salary an inefficient use of funds.

I know I do.

Zucker has been playing this same record since November. I wouldn't give it too much credence. He needs a new thing to blame his network's abysmal performance on every once in a while.

Mr Zucker has just delivered some of NBC U's best results ever. Their revenue went up 10% for the quarter the strike started in. Overall business under his rein this year was 6% profit gain to $3.1 billion. Yes, $3.1 BILLION. Profit.

Additionally, General Electric praised Zucker for his handling of the writers' strike (translation: well done for fucking them over for our $$$) and said they are preparing for the actors strike, too.

The harsh reality of this strike is that I think the corps are going to profit from it big time. In TVland. Companies this size with an audience this stupid represents a real problem for unions.

Would it be a terrible thing for them to stop doing this pilot season thing? It seems like such a crappy thing to do - get people's hopes up and then not make the damn show. Or - let them make a few episodes and then cancel the show. Would this change mean that people got to make a whole season of their show for sure?

(Sorry if I've not quite wrapped my head round how it works - it doesn't work that way in the UK, you see.)

6% gain is in no way impressive or could have possibly been their target and I would love to see what the revenue was to create that profit. The story is in the details, Kevin, not the headlines.

Would it be a terrible thing for them to stop doing this pilot season thing?

A lot of people get a lot of work during pilot season with no expectations of ever actually having a show picked up. It would suck for them to lose the income. I can't completely disagree that it's a very inefficient system though. A more careful and considered pre-pilot process could boost the efficiency, but I would think there'd need to be much more network support and nurturing for new shows than has been the case in quite some time for that to work.

So his plan for developing actual air-worthy shows without pilot season is to wave a magic wand and make sure that whatever percentage of new product that goes unproduced is only the stuff that wouldn't turn out to be profitable?

A lot of people get a lot of work during pilot season with no expectations of ever actually having a show picked up.

Yeah, an actor could almost get by doing the right pilots, as long as they got a pilot every year. But most of them show up for more than that.

I'd be curious to see the alternative to pilot season--in the UK the seasons are shorter, so the investment risk is different.