Hollywood screenwriters and studios reach tentative agreement to resolve strike

The Writers Guild of America and major Hollywood media companies reached a tentative agreement Sunday that could resolve a writers’ strike approaching one of the longest strikes in entertainment industry history.

“The WGA has reached a preliminary agreement with the AMPTP,” the union said in a statement. “This has been made possible thanks to the enduring solidarity of WGA members and the extraordinary support of our union brothers who have joined us on the picket lines for more than 146 days.”

The union said there will be no additional comment at this time, and details will be released after the WGA West Board and WGA East Council vote on the agreement, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Members will then have to ratify it by vote.

“We can say, with pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every membership segment,” the union’s bargaining committee said as part of the union’s statement.

The sit-in was suspended Sunday night.

Thousands of screenwriters took to the picket lines on May 2, nearly 150 days ago, after the WGA failed to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the trade association that negotiates over studios and streaming services such as Disney and Netflix. . (The group represents NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)

The tentative agreement culminates five straight days of negotiations, including appearances by Disney’s Bob Iger, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, and NBCUniversal Studio Group President Donna Langley, (NBC News is owned by Comcast), a knowledgeable source. With discussions he said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is already counting on a much-needed outcome for a city powered in part by entertainment.

“Now, we must focus on getting the entertainment industry, and all the small businesses that depend on it, back on its feet and stronger than ever,” she said in a statement.

Hollywood actors will continue their strike, which began in July, until their union, SAG-AFTRA, reaches an agreement with the studios as well.

SAG-AFTRA congratulated the writers Sunday night on reaching an agreement and wished the same to its actors, broadcasters and other members. “We remain on strike from our TV/theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio, streaming and AMPTP CEOs to come back to the table and make a fair deal,” the organization said in a statement.

Writers and actors share similar demands, including higher base compensation, a greater reduction in project revenue (known as residuals) and stricter protections against the use of artificial intelligence.

The strikes have turned the film and television industry upside down, putting thousands of people out of work and halting production of most scripted entertainment, from big-budget films to late-night talk shows and streaming series. In interviews, writers, actors, and behind-the-scenes crew members described the financial difficulties of the industry’s shutdown.

Studios say it’s also taken a hit. For example, Warner Bros. said: Discovery, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this month, said it assumed it would be “adversely impacted” by the dual strikes by up to $500 million.

The strikes come amid severe structural upheaval in Hollywood, which is grappling with how to embrace the digital age, overcome declining traditional broadcast viewership, and manage the rise of artificial intelligence technologies, much of which has raised concerns about the future of all creative professions.

WGA members last went on strike in November 2007 amid an impasse with studios over writers’ salaries and other issues. The work stoppage, which clogged Hollywood’s content production pipeline, lasted 100 days, ending on February 12, 2008. The longest strike in WGA history was 154 days in 1988.