LOS ANGELES—Mobile episodes of the hit television show “Lost” are once again in the works following an agreement between Walt Disney Co. and three Hollywood unions.
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Disney’s Touchstone Television reached an agreement with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Directors Guild of America (DGA) to produce “Lost Video Diaries,” a series of mini-episodes for mobile phones. The project had been on hold since it was announced in November.
The deal, a first in the mobile-content sector, mirrors the standard revenue-sharing agreements that writers, directors and actors receive for TV shows and other media. WGA and DGA members will receive 1.2 percent of the license fee for mobile-phone use. Actors are ensured an escalating wage beginning at $425 for an eight-hour day and will receive residuals for cell-phone broadcasts after 13 weeks.
The contract also covers Internet use, and increases residuals for ad-supported online downloads.
“I think all parties recognized that the key to success always comes down to the quality of the product,” said Carlton Cuse, a WGA member and executive producer of “Lost.” “By coming to an agreement, the quality and integrity of the stories we tell in this new medium will be consistent with that of the network show.”
Production on the mobile series is slated for late summer in Hawaii, and the video clips will be distributed by Verizon Wireless. The news follows Fox Entertainment’s announcement Monday that it will produce 26 ad-supported “mobisodes” based on its hit show “Prison Break.”
