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The writers’ union decided to break out the union’s strike, after failing to reach fair agreements in relation to the distribution of the profits generated by the streaming platforms
More than 11,000 Hollywood film and television writers launched their first strike in 15 years on Tuesday after talks with studios and streaming platforms over pay and working conditions failed.
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This writers’ strike will mean the immediate interruption of successful programs, such as late-night shows, and delays of television series and films scheduled to premiere this year.
“We have not reached an agreement with the studios and platformsThe Writers Guild of America (WGA) said in an email sent to its members seen by AFP.
Responses to the requests were “totally insufficient, given the existential crisis facing screenwriters,” the WGA said, adding that the strike had begun.
The move came after the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Disney and Netflix among others, said negotiations had “ended without an agreement.”
media support
Last night a lot of A-list celebs were asked if they support the writers’ strike.
Jimmy Fallon said, “I wouldn’t have a show if it wasn’t for my writers, I support them all the way.”
Who else supports the strike? Thread. pic.twitter.com/EjlRWiRXd3
— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 2, 2023
Late-night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon endorsed the scriptwriters.
Colbert considered their demands “reasonable.” While Fallon expressed support for his team. “I couldn’t do the show without them,” he told Variety.
WGA members urged solidarity among members. “Put down your pens!” Caroline Renard, a writer for several TV series and shows, tweeted.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/RhTcUimAJV
—David Slack (@slack2thefuture) May 2, 2023
“They will not break this union,” David Slack, a screenwriter for “Law & Order” and other shows, wrote on Twitter in a tweet picked up by the WGA, whose logo was renamed “Striking Writers Guild.”
The last time Hollywood screenwriters stopped, in 2007-2008. The strike lasted 100 days and cost the industry some $2 billion.
This time, the writers are demanding higher salaries and a bigger share of the profits generated by streaming. While the studies maintain that they have to reduce costs due to economic pressures.
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Source: AFP