Actor Isaiah Washington pictured during the last TV writer's strike on December 12, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.
Charley Gallay/Getty Images
The short to medium term future of scripted television is likely to look a little different after writers voted to strike after failing to come to an agreement with the major studios on Monday.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted unanimously after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which represents major studios including Amazon, Disney, Netflix and Paramount — broke down. WGA members are seeking agreements on higher pay and other issues that would bring industry standards in line with the modern streaming era.
Upcoming TV shows and movies could be affected by the strike, with late-night shows among the first to shut down while the union seeks to strike a deal that fairly compensates its members. Picketing will begin on Tuesday afternoon, the Guild has confirmed.
On Monday evening, the WGA said the decision to strike followed six weeks of negotiations with AMPTP that produced a "wholly insufficient" response to "the existential crisis writers are facing."
Chief among their concerns are how writers are paid for their work on shows that remain on streaming platforms for a number of years, as well as the use of artificial intelligence by studios in the creation of new content. The WGA has likened the current situation to the "gig economy" and is keen to secure guarantees such as a minimum number of six writers in every writer's room as well as a guaranteed number of weeks of employment for those writers.
In their own statement on Tuesday, the AMPTP cited these demands as their "primary sticking points." They have made what they describe as a "comprehensive" offer but one that falls some way short of what the WGA are seeking. AMPTP, for their part, have pointed to "the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the Guild continues to insist upon" for the breakdown in discussions.
WGA members previously went on strike in 2007, a time in the TV landscape that left Conan O'Brien spinning his wedding ring live on air for entertainment and the non-union member written second season of Heroes receiving poor reviews.
Speaking at the Met Gala on Monday night, Emmy-winning actress Amanda Seyfried spelled the situation as the writers see it in clear terms. "Everything changed with streaming, and everyone should be compensated for their work," she told a reporter. "It’s fucking easy.”