Describing the strike as "part of a larger paradigm shift," the AFI said the labour battle is part of "the ongoing digital revolution (that) has upended conventional economic models, and uncertainty abounds when attempting to project how an audience will receive its storytelling in the years to come and how creators will be paid for their work."

The other events cited by the AFI are:

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* The birth of the iPhone, which because of its ability to stream and download TV shows and movies is "a symbol of a public that demands its content where they want it and when they want it."

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* Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" series, which it hailed as "landmark programming in high definition."

* The hyper-tabloidization of TV news.

* Summer programming on basic cable that is redefining the traditional TV season.