UPDATED with the latest: Hollywood has been a union town for close to 100 years.
The guild confirmed that the strike indeed would happen about three hours prior to the midnight deadline.
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What Went Wrong?
Picket signs made by WGA East membersWGA East
They are represented in the talks by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Whats at Issue?
No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.
WGA/Vimeo
There is also the potentially-transformative impact of AI, and how it could be used to generate scripts.
WGANegotiating Committee Co-ChairChris Keysertold Deadline ina picket-line interviewthat the studios would not broach the subject.
They would not discuss AI.
It cant be a draft that we have to rewrite.
It doesnt mean that companies wont use it in some ways.
It can be research material but it cant be literary material.
AMPTP President Carol Lombardini is widely seen as a tough but fair negotiator.
Hollywood is just emerging from the impacts of Covid and the related production slowdowns.
More recently, studios, networks, streamers and producers have laid off thousands of workers.
What Do Writers Want?
The guild has argued that the producers are well able to compensate writers more fairly.
Get much more detailhere.
The entertainment segments of the industrys major companies Netflix, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. (Note: the AMPTP also represents Apple and Amazon, in addition to the companies listed above.)
For a detailed list of the WGAs specific goals see its Pattern of Demands, listedhere.
More:What Went Wrong?
Quite simply, they want to ensure that they can keep making a profit.
Thats a pretty healthy emerging business.
What TV Shows Would Be Affected?
During the 2007-08 strike, all the late-night talkers began airing reruns on Day 1.
Other examples are emerging.
For instance,NBCsNight Courtis currently in production on its second season.
The sitcom is off this week but was supposed to resume filming next week, sources tell Deadline.
Our writers are not members of the guild, he said (yes, wrestling is scripted!).
So there is no effect on us whatsoever.
Of course we are supportive of the writers who are members of the guild and their efforts.
At some point, other hit episodic shows could be impacted.
Writing for numerous streaming series is also ongoing or is anticipated to begin in the coming months.
TheWGAstrike could well hasten the process, according to a number of industry sources.
That left the late August-October 2022 box office and winter this year a dry bed for product.
In fact, were still waiting on movies delayed by the pandemic to hit theaters.
Also a point of contention were shows written entirely by one person, likeThe White Lotus.
How would staffing quotas work on those?
The two sides were very far apart on money issues, however.
See a summary from the WGA of what each side offered in negotiationshere.
There seems to be even more support for a strike this time around.
In 2007, the authorization vote was approved by 90% of voters.
The strike authorization this time around was approved by nearly 98% of the eligible voting members.
I know were in a day-to-day situation.
And I dont want to speculate and talk about how long this will be because we just dont know.
Generally, the guild that negotiates first sets the tone for the subsequent negotiations.
The DGA has gone first at the bargaining table in each of the past three bargaining cycles.
The last time the WGA went first back in 2007 resulted in a 100-day writers strike.
The powerful DGA begins negotiations for its 19,000 members on May 10.
Its contract expires June 30.
Like theWGA, streaming residuals are on theDGAs bargaining agenda, specifically residuals for shows and movies streamed internationally.
SAG-AFTRA begins negotiations with the AMPTP on June 7.
Its contract with the AMPTP expires on June 30.
They can afford to share the wealth with the writers who create the content we all watch.
We are monitoring negotiations closely.
This is a shared fight and Teamsters do not cross picket lines.
Actors can also continue to audition for work if they choose to.
And its not just in L.A.
The big win for the Writers Guild in 2007 was some jurisdiction over new media, which was precedent-setting.
Streamers would have to hire WGA writers on shows over certain budgets.
Other than that, writers received a new percentage payment on the distributors gross for digital distribution.
But it came at a cost.
The Big Four networks CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX suffered, too.
NBC had the most severe ad shortfall with its prime time ratings declining sharply.
None of its new shows achieved breakout success.
Moreover, during 2007, NBC saw its prime time 18-to-49-year-old viewership drop by 11%.
It was especially heartbreaking because the show was in really great place then.
But at the same time, it was absolutely right.
Theres no way to doSNLduring a writers strike.
On May 15,WGA leaders are planningto stage massive rallies on both coasts.
Of course there are the SAG-AFTRA and DGA negotiations.
Even leaders at the powerful DGA areanticipatinga difficult negotiation.
But that doesnt mean there isnt willingness to rejoin the conversation.
Asked if WGA negotiators would rejoin talks tomorrow said, We are ready today.
