Hollywood writers go on strike

Streaming and “prestige series” that have 10 or fewer episodes per season are among the issues at hand.

Writers for some of the most popular shows on television are walking off the job, striking for higher pay amid rapid changes in the way people watch their programs and films.

The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,500 Hollywood scribes, said its strike is effective Tuesday morning Los Angeles time. Members voted overwhelmingly to authorize the walkout last month.

As a result, work on late night talk shows and soap operas could halt immediately. Depending on how long the work stoppage lasts, consumers could miss episodes of their favorite shows this fall. Movie release schedules could be impacted. The walkout could also depress the economy of Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city, which is already struggling with slower home sales and labor disruptions at its port.

In a statement Monday night, the union said the decision to strike was made after six weeks of negotiations and that the studios’ responses have been “wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing.” The guild added that the studios have been “stonewalling” on issues such as the use of artificial intelligence in script production.

The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which represents Hollywood studios, said in a separate statement Monday night that it presented “generous increases” in compensation to writers as well as improvements in residual payments for shows that are on streaming services. The studios said they were prepared to improve that offer, but were unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other requests from the writers.

The key points of contention are mandatory staffing and duration of employment, with the studios arguing that the writers guild is seeking contracts for a minimum number of writers on shows regardless of whether they’re needed, according to the alliance’s statement.

The union says the studios that produce television shows and films have used the transition from traditional TV viewing to streaming to cut writers’ pay. More writers are working at union minimums and for shorter periods, the union said.

In the heyday of network TV, writers often worked on 22-episode seasons that included pilot episodes written before the series was officially picked up. In the streaming era, seasons may consist of only six or eight episodes and programs are ordered directly without pilots.

With streaming services often picking up global rights to shows for multiple years, there’s less opportunity for writers to earn huge paydays from recurring and international sales.

The strike is coming amid an overall contraction in entertainment spending following several boom years after Netflix Inc., Walt Disney Co. and others spent heavily to create new programs for their streaming services. Disney is in the process of laying off 7,000 staffers, many of whom worked in the creation or marketing of shows.

Film and TV production in Los Angeles tumbled 24% in the first quarter, as measured by FilmLA, which administers permits for shoots. Among the hardest hit categories was TV dramas, a staple of streaming and cable TV, which fell 40%.​

Hollywood Writers Are Going on Strike For First Time in 15 Years — Bloomberg

 

Does any show do a "season" more than 6-8 episodes now?

During the good ol' days, a season ran 20-25 episodes and writers were paid in advance.

 

At least Moonlighting won’t suffer this time.

 

Almost all shows are more than eight episodes.

A writer I am FB friends with posted this:

I’ve been a member of the WGA since 2014. There are 11,500 of us, and we’re pencils down as of today. The sky-high profits of the streamers and our own plummeting income, the loss of residuals and the absence of ad revenue, the abuse of mini rooms, the rise of A.I. — there’s a lot on the table that makes this reasonable and necessary. And it directly connects to the fight for adequate compensation for ALL the people involved in making film and television—right now, yes, but also ten or twenty years down the line. #wga #wgastrong

 

Yes, plenty. The magic number these days is 10 unless you're on network TV in which case it's higher.

 

I watch very little TV these days.
Why? Because of the rise of "reality" TV that is a direct result of the last big writers' strike.
There are days go by that I don't even turn it on.
I'd rather watch a series of YouTube videos than most television.

 

Union strong.

 

Greatest invention since the remote which was the greatest invention since sliced bread which was the greatest invention since ______

Speaking of which ...

"I wanna be a sportswriter!"

 

Labor > management. Every time.

 

I'd rather watch video of people reviewing coolers, fishing techniques, grilling advice, battle maps, music videos, etc. than regular TV these days. It holds my interest more.

 

It was nice to hear Colbert and the other talk show hosts support the union on the last day before reruns