It has been reported that the Writers Guild of America have now averted their strike plans. It appears Hollywood writers reached a deal on a new contract with representatives of movie and television studios early Tuesday morning, 2nd May 2017.
This new deal saves what could have been a potential black out and delay of primetime talk shows such as ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ and other popular TV drama’s in America which would have been directly impacted by a the threatened WGA writers’ strike.
The Guild was negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents big entertainment names such as Walt Disney, Twenty-First Century Fox, CBS, Time Warner, Comcast, and Viacom.
It is reported that the Hollywood writers reached a tentative deal on a new contract which would include agreements for provisions for shorter television seasons and a 15-percent increase in pay television residuals.
The 9,000-member Writers Guild of America had said it was prepared to call for a stoppage and for picketing of the big TV and movie studios as early if no deal had been reached.
The last WGA strike took place back in 2007 and 2008 and saw guild members on strike for 100 days. During that time the cost to the California economy was estimated at $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute.
Variety.com reported that the focus of the recent talks has been the revolution in the television industry since the arrival of streaming services including Netflix and Amazon, and a resulting sharp decline in the typical number of episodes in a season of scripted comedy or drama, to around 10 from 22.
The Guild says its members, who are paid per episode, have suffered an average 23-percent drop in earnings in the past three years.
Royalties for shows sold on DVDs, streaming platforms and cable TV were also at issue, along with funding for the Guild's health plan.
