The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has come to a provisional deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), nearly five months after the strikes that rocked Hollywood and the entertainment industry began.
The strike was incited by low pay for writers, despite record profits for streamers and studios. The WGA strike in May was closely followed by the Screen Actors Guild—American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), who began picketing in July for similar reasons.
However, WGA announced this morning that a tentative deal had been reached after five days of negotiations with the AMPTP. In light of the news, SAG-AFTRA took to X—the social network formerly known as Twitter—this morning to confirm it will be continuing its own negotiations with the organization, but is also hoping to reach a deal.
"To our fellow union siblings who serve on the WGA negotiating committee, we extend our heartfelt congratulations on securing a tentative agreement with the AMPTP," it wrote.
"We applaud your dedication, diligence and unwavering solidarity over the last five months and are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you as creative partners in the entertainment industry.
"We look forward to reviewing the terms of the WGA and AMPTP's tentative agreement. And we remain ready to resume our own negotiations with the AMPTP as soon as they are prepared to engage on our proposals in a meaningful way.
"Until then, we continue to stand strong and unified. In solidarity, The SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical/Streaming negotiating committee #SagAftraStrong."
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike Explained
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA are asking for better pay in line with record profits for entertainment providers, including increased contributions to pensions and health insurance.
The WGA represents approximately 11,500 writers, while SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members from across the entertainment industry. The AMPTP constitutes over 350 major studios and streamers, including Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Sony, Netflix and NBC Universal.
According to data from the WGA, industry profits have surged due to streaming—from $5 billion per annum in 2000 to $28 billion in 2021. However, residuals for streaming shows are significantly lower than that of broadcast TV, with writers and actors making very little, regardless of how many people watch their shows or movies.
Creatives who once made a good wage via reruns on network TV are also missing out, with many popular series—such as Friends and The Office—moving to streaming services.
In an open letter to union members ahead of the strike, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said: "Over the past decade, your compensation has been severely eroded by the rise of the streaming ecosystem." However, AI is also a concern for writers and actors, with the unions both expressing concerns about how the technology could be used to undercut jobs and earnings.
According to Empire State Development, the strikes have already cost the entertainment industry more than $5 billion. TV shows and movies across a range of genres have been put on hold due to the strikes—from blockbusters like Marvel's Thunderbolts to Netflix hits such as Stranger Things.
Newsweek has reached out to the WGA, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP via email for comment.
Some projects have come under fire for resuming production during the strikes. Earlier this month, The Drew Barrymore Show was threatened with a "boycott" from fans after the 48-year-old actor and talk show host announced plans to recommence filming, while Bill Maher was called a "scab" for restarting production of Real Time with Bill Maher, before seemingly back-tracking on the decision shortly afterward.
"My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike," the comedian wrote on social media.
"Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I'm going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done," Maher said.
Trivia show Jeopardy! has continued to air using a combination of repurposed material from previous seasons and questions written prior to the strikes, although host Ken Jennings received backlash for continuing to present, while co-host Mayim Bialik stepped away in solidarity with strikers.
Update 9/22/23, 04:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more
