Hollywood TV and movie writers are going to wrap up an important vote as they push media firms to raise their pay or face disruption. Read to know more.
Hollywood writers demand better pay
Both television and movie writers in Hollywood are pushing media companies for better pay or threatening to strike. A strike is going to disrupt the industry recovering from the covid-19 pandemic and under pressure to make streaming more beneficial. Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) asked about 11,500 members to give them the power to call a strike if the contract talks break down. The writers’ vote closes on Monday and the tally will be released shortly.
A strike authorization can potentially increase the heat on media giants such as Walt Disney Co and Netflix Inc., and convince them to raise the writers’ pay. As per the members, their compensation is suffering from streaming which leads to shorter seasons and smaller payments. “We feel like we’ve been undervalued for years,” stated John August. August is a screenwriter on the negotiating committee. “This is the moment to have a conversation about how we’re making television right now and making sure writers are paid properly,” he added.
However, a prolonged cost may end up being very costly. The previous WGA strike in 2007-2008 lasted for 100 days. Studios also don’t want a disruption following the shutdown of production due to the pandemic. While television and film work has continued, movie-going continues below pandemic levels despite several blockbusters. Similarly, TV broadcasting is struggling as viewers and ads are migrating to streaming.
More on the writers’ demands
WGA is seeking a rise in the minimum salaries in addition to changes to practices that are reducing pay. As per Guild statistics, currently, half of the writers for TV series are working at minimum salary levels compared to 33 percent in the 2013-14 season. Additionally, over the last decade, the median pay for scribes ta the higher producer/writer levels have reduced by four percent. Additionally, the WGA is also looking for safeguards that prevent studios from employing AI tools to generate new scripts using previous scripts.
Some sources close to media companies are countering that budgets are tight especially when Wall Street is looking to see profits from investments in the sector. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), stated its commitment to “reaching a mutually beneficial deal.” The AMPTP is representing Netflix, Warner Bros, Comcast Corp, Disney, and others. “We’re optimistic that we can get through this. We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective. We’ve got ourselves ready. We have a lot of content that’s been produced,” stated David Zaslav. Zaslav is the Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros Discovery.
