(Los Angeles) Threat to the “ late shows And the series? A strike by thousands of American television and film screenwriters for a pay rise is looming Monday in Hollywood for lack of agreement, a few hours before the expiration of notice.
The main studios and platforms, including Disney and Netflix, are in talks with the powerful writers’ union, Writers Guild of America (WGA), which threatens if no agreement is reached to order a strike after midnight Tuesday.
This would result in the immediate termination of hit shows, such as ” late night shows and significantly delaying TV series and movies slated for release this year.
The last major social movement in Hollywood dates back to the scriptwriters’ strike which paralyzed the American audiovisual industry in 2007-2008. A 100-day conflict that had cost the sector $2 billion.
Screenwriters demand higher pay and a bigger share of streaming profits as studios say they need to cut costs due to economic pressures.
“Everyone feels like there’s going to be a strike,” said a Los Angeles-based TV screenwriter who did not want to be named. What is at stake is “an agreement that will determine how we are compensated” for streaming, both now and in the future, he added.
The screenwriters say they are struggling to make a living from their craft, with salaries stagnating or even falling due to inflation, while their employers are making profits and increasing the salaries of their executives.
They believe that they have never been so numerous to work at the minimum wage set by the unions, while the television networks hire fewer people to write increasingly short series.
Netflix, “the only profitable platform”
One of the biggest disagreements is over how writers’ pay is calculated for streaming series, which on platforms like Netflix often remain viewable for years after they’re written.
For decades, screenwriters have collected “residual rights” for the reuse of their works, for example in television reruns or DVD sales.
It is either a percentage of the revenue earned by the studios for the film or show, or a fixed sum paid for each rerun of an episode.
With streaming, authors receive a fixed amount each year, even if their work is a global success such as series Bridgerton Or Stranger Thingsviewed by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.
The WGA is calling for the revaluation of these amounts, which are today “far too low in view of the massive international reuse” of these programs. She also wants to discuss the future impact of artificial intelligence on the screenwriting profession.
The studios, represented by the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), point out that the “residual rights” paid to screenwriters reached a record level of $494 million in 2021, compared to $333 million ten years earlier. early, thanks in large part to the explosion in screenwriting jobs linked to the rise in demand for streaming.
Having been spendthrift in recent years, when competing broadcasters have sought to boost subscriber numbers at all costs, the bosses say they are now under heavy pressure from investors to cut spending and make profits.
And they deny pretexting economic difficulties to strengthen their position in negotiations with screenwriters.
“Do you think Disney would lay off 7,000 people just for fun? said a source close to the AMPTP. According to her, “there is only one platform that is profitable at the moment, and that is Netflix”. The film industry “is also a very competitive sector”.