Hollywood's Ultimate Showdown: Writers Guild Strikes Gold With Revolutionizing Deal, Ending the Battle with Studios
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) officially ends its 148-day strike as they ratify a new deal with the studios, marking a significant milestone for the industry
Summary
The 2023 WGA Strike, lasting 148 days, has finally ended with a ratified deal.
Content writers actively advocated for equitable compensation, stringent AI regulation, enhanced streaming residuals, and increased transparency regarding streaming statistics. The WGA and AMPTP have successfully reached a tentative agreement which garnered overwhelming approval, with 99% of WGA members voting in favor. This new contract will be in effect from September 25, 2023, until May 1, 2026.
The 2023 WGA Strike has finally concluded after negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP failed to result in a new contract. The strike lasted for a total of 148 days and aimed to address issues such as fair pay, AI regulation, streaming residuals, and transparency in streaming viewership numbers. On September 27, the two parties reached a tentative agreement. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this agreement has now been ratified with a 99 percent vote in favor from the WGA membership. The new contract will be retroactively effective from September 25 and will remain in place until May 1, 2026, when it will be open for renegotiation.
What the End of the WGA Strike Means
The WGA strike caused writers to stop working on projects, leading to significant impacts on various productions in progress or in preparation. Many upcoming movies and TV shows, including Marvel's Blade, Disney's Tron: Ares, Andor season 2, and Bob's Burgers season 15, experienced production pauses or delays. Several shows, such as Big Mouth season 8, Abbott Elementary season 3, and Grey's Anatomy season 20, had their writers rooms shut down before they could start production.
As the strike comes to an end, some affected productions will reopen their writers rooms. Late-night talk shows, for instance, have already resumed airing episodes as their writers rooms reopened following the announcement of the tentative deal. However, the majority of productions remain impacted by the strike, as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) continues to strike in solidarity with the WGA, having joined the picket lines in July.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 WGA Strike, WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen stated that WGA members will join SAG-AFTRA on the picket lines. SAG-AFTRA is presently engaged in a strike, advocating for similar fundamental concerns like equitable compensation, transparency in streaming, and regulation of artificial intelligence. Their demands still remain unaddressed. Nevertheless, once an agreement is reached for the actors, productions can recommence unless there are any potential future strikes within the industry.
