Hollywood writers begin strike, late-night shows to go dark

  • 📰 AP
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 82 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 36%
  • Publisher: 51%

Entertainment Entertainment Headlines News

Entertainment Entertainment Latest News,Entertainment Entertainment Headlines

Television and movie writers soured by Hollywood's low pay in the streaming era went on strike for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday. Late-night and variety shows will be the first programs to go dark.

The guild is seeking higher minimum pay, less thinly staffed writing rooms, shorter exclusive contracts and a reworking of residual pay — all conditions the WGA says have been diminished in the content boom driven by streaming.

In a statement, the trade association said that it was prepared to improve its offer “but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the guild continues to insist upon.” Hollywood’s trade assocation said Monday that the primary sticking points to a deal revolved around those mini-rooms — the guild is seeking a minimum number of scribes per writer room — and duration of employment restrictions. The guild has said more flexibility for writers is needed when they’re contracted for series that have tended to be more limited and short-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season.

The most immediate effect of the strike viewers are likely to notice will be on late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live.” All are expected to immediately go dark. During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually returned to the air and improvised material. Jay Leno wrote his own monologues, a move that angered union leadership.Seth Meyers, a WGA member who said he supported the union’s demands, prepared viewers for re-runs while lamenting the hardship a strike entails.

“Then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do,” Craig later recounted. “We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes — and a writer I am not.” Overseas series could also fill some of the void. “If there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, on the company’s earnings call in April.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 728. in ENTERTAİNMENT

Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

How a writers' strike might affect your favorite TV shows | CNNThere's a battle brewing in Hollywood that may affect your television viewing.
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »

Hollywood writers to strike as streaming shift upends TV businessThousands of film and television writers will go on strike starting Tuesday, throwing Hollywood into turmoil as the entertainment business grapples with seismic changes triggered by the global streaming TV boom.
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

Hollywood writers' strike begins, halting tv and film productionFilm and television sets in Hollywood will go dark starting Tuesday after the Writers Guild of America voted to go on strike.
Source: FOXLA - 🏆 445. / 53 Read more »

Hollywood writers strike over pay in streaming TV 'gig economy'Thousands of film and television writers will go on strike starting Tuesday, throwing Hollywood into turmoil as the entertainment business grapples with seismic changes triggered by the global streaming TV boom.
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

Hollywood writers' strike begins, halting tv and film productionFilm and television sets in Hollywood will go dark starting Tuesday after the Writers Guild of America voted to go on strike.
Source: fox5ny - 🏆 587. / 51 Read more »