Hollywood Screenwriters Reach Deal to End Five-Month Strike
After five months of strike, Hollywood screenwriters have reached a tentative new labor agreement with studios, including Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc., ending one of the two walkouts that have halted film and TV production. The Writers Guild of America, representing over 11,500 Hollywood scribes, announced on Sunday that it had reached a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the studios’ bargaining group. The agreement, subject to approval by guild members, will put an end to the strike that began on May 2.
The provisional three-year deal is still pending the completion of contract language and recommendations from the union’s council and board. The final decision could come as early as Tuesday, followed by a vote from the members. However, the union leadership may allow members to return to work before the final tally. The guild expressed its satisfaction with the deal, stating that it provides significant gains and protections for writers in all sectors of the membership.
The strike was initiated by the writers, who demanded higher pay from streaming services, which have revolutionized the television industry and payment structures for talent. The Screen Actors Guild later joined the strike in July, raising similar concerns. While details of the agreement have not been disclosed, insiders have indicated that writers have secured concessions on key issues, including higher wages.
Under the new agreement, studios have committed to staffing a specific number of writers on their TV shows, with the figure increasing with the number of episodes in a season. Additionally, a structure has been established for writers to receive bonuses for popular shows on streaming platforms. Furthermore, an agreement has been reached regarding the use of artificial intelligence, which writers feared would eliminate jobs.
The deal will allow soap operas, game shows, and late-night talk shows to resume production. However, work on most dramatic programs will remain halted until the actors’ strike is resolved. Industry analysts predict that the momentum from the writers’ agreement will expedite the resolution of the actors’ strike. Nevertheless, it will take some time before big-budget shows and movies can resume production.
The strike has had a significant impact on the entertainment industry, leading to the suspension of hundreds of film and TV projects. This has affected not only writers and actors but also directors, crew members, and related industries such as catering and real estate. With reduced revenue, talent agencies have laid off employees, and studios have suspended deals with major producers to cut costs. Awards shows have been delayed, and film festivals have been held without the presence of stars. The strike has also caused the delay of new shows for the fall TV season, and many films scheduled for release this year have been pushed back to 2024.
While the studios and writers initially failed to reach a deal before the strike began, and negotiations were stalled for months, the involvement of the actors in late July and early August prompted the heads of major media companies to engage in the dispute. Thousands of guild members protested outside the studios’ offices in New York and Los Angeles during this period. While the primary focus of the guilds was the economics of streaming, the threat of artificial intelligence also emerged as a growing concern.
The conclusion of this agreement is a significant milestone for the entertainment industry, bringing relief to writers and paving the way for the resumption of productions. Shares of studios reacted mixedly to the news, with Netflix and Disney experiencing slight gains, while Warner Bros Discovery Inc. fell, and Paramount Global remained unchanged. The world’s movie theaters can now celebrate the progress being made.
