It’s been over 146 days since the Writer’s Guild of America went on strike after failing to come to a new contract with Hollywood’s studios, networks, and streamers. Over four months the AMPTP, which represents the Hollywood media companies, not only saw the WGA picket their studio lots and headquarters, but the Screen Actors Guild joined them. It has been the first dual strike since 1960 and has brought production in Hollywood to almost a complete halt. Today, it appears a resolution to at least one of the work stoppages has been agreed upon.
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In an E-mail to their members, the WGA said a “new tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement on all deal points subject to drafting final contract language” has been reached. The deal will go before WGA members who will vote on the proposal in the days ahead. If ratified, it will be just short of the longest strike in WGA history, 188 when writers walked the picket lines for 154 days.
After disputes following August negotiations over which side needed to reply, the AMPTP and WGA met this week with four key studio heads in attendance: Disney CEO Bob Iger, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Univeral Studios Chief Content Officer Donna Langley and Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav.
Details of the new deal are unclear at this time. We will update this story when the WGA announces the deal points.
Priorities for the WGA before negotiations began included assurances over A.I. replacing “human” writers, tying residuals to streaming content performance, and guaranteed staffing for writer’s rooms, among other negotiation points.
Despite attempts to keep negotiations secret, anonymous executives provided numerous outlets with off-the-record quotes that heightened the animosity between the two parties. The WGA (and SAG for that matter) clearly won the public relations battle, however, with a recent poll showing 67% of Americans supporting the unions while just 31% took the studios’ side. Whether animosity between writers and Hollywood executives continues to fester after the agreement is ratified remains to be seen.
With the WGA strike seemingly over, it means talk show programming such as “Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” can immediately get back into production. Daytime programs that postponed their fall launches – including the embattled “Drew Barrymore Show” – should also move forward. Even if the SAG strike can be resolved relatively soon, much of the 2023-2024 network broadcast season is “lost” and has been filled with reality content. It is unclear what shows will return for partial seasons in January.
Attention will now pivot to the SAG strike which began on July 14. That union has similar issues with the use of A.I. and streaming residuals. Obviously, until that strike is resolved, production is still effectively at a standstill, but the studios have clearly signaled with this WGA agreement that they will want to make a deal with the actor’s quickly.
The Directors Guild of America reached a deal with the AMPTP on June 3. It was criticized by many members who were also in the WGA but was still ratified on June 23 with just 41% of its membership voting.