The board of directors of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Twitter the start of a strike on May 2, which could be the largest since 2007. Screenwriters ask film studios to raise the minimum wage and to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in screenwriting. The strike could affect the release of evening TV shows and new series seasons.
Why are the authors upset?
The decision to strike came after six weeks of negotiations with the Film and Television Producers Alliance, which includes companies like Amazon, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony and Warner Bros., the agency said. WGA in a statement. . Discovery.
“While our negotiating committee entered into this process with the intention of reaching a fair deal, the studios’ response has been wholly inadequate given the existential crisis the writers are facing,” the statement read.
The contract between the WGA and the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance expired on May 2. The organizations have not been able to reach an agreement so far.
WGA members are demanding pay raises. According to the organization, in recent years, against the background of the rapid development of streaming platforms, the average salary of writers-producers has decreased by 4%, or 23% adjusted for inflation, Remarks NBC News.
The guild complains that more screenwriters are working for minimum wage, regardless of experience, as salaries for top entertainment executives have skyrocketed in recent years.
WGA writers are also unhappy that streaming shows have fewer episodes than their TV counterparts, making it difficult to maintain a stable income. And royalties paid when shows are distributed by subscription or streamed overseas have all but disappeared as more content is hosted exclusively on streaming platforms, writes NBC News.
The screenwriters also worry about the use of artificial intelligence. The WGA requires that studios not use it to create and rewrite literary material, and that screenwriters are not asked to rewrite drafts of AI-generated scripts.
The strike will affect the release of talk shows and series
The scriptwriters’ strike began on May 2 at 12:01 a.m. local time (10:01 a.m. Moscow time), during the day protesters intend to picket. For the duration of the strike, WGA members will cease writing screenplays, but may produce or direct, informed Axios.
The Guild comprises more than 11,000 people. According to the Alliance of Film and TV Producers, if screenwriters halt production, up to 20,000 people employed on 600 projects could find themselves out of work, informed CN.
By data Deadline, a writers’ strike will cause a temporary halt to late-night talk shows featuring Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert. These broadcasts will be repeated.
The strike may affect the release of new episodes of the series, but that won’t become noticeable until the end of the year if the writers’ protests last long, notes the Washington Post. Theatrical releases are unlikely to be affected by the strike, as most films slated for release in 2023 have already been filmed.
The Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance said it hoped to reach a “win-win deal” with the Writers Guild.
The last major writers’ strike took place in 2007 and lasted 100 days. The longest strike of 1988 lasted 153 days.
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