After 146 days, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached an agreement on ending the writer’s strike.
The WGA went on strike on May 2, wanting a new contract that would guarantee a way for writers to make a living off of the craft. Some of the biggest areas of contention included regulating the use of artificial intelligence in writing, earning a living wage, requiring studios to have writing staff, honoring strikes from other unions, and earning residuals from streaming services.
Negotiations had been on-and-off during the strike, but the WGA and AMPTP resumed negotiations on September 20 for the first time in nearly a month. Many were optimistic about the new meetings as the CEOs of major corporations were present, including Bob Iger (Disney), Ted Sarandos (Netflix), Donna Langley (NBCUniversal), and David Zaslav (Warner Bros. Discovery).
Throughout the strikes, which have delayed a huge amount of shows and movies, the CEOs have typically been reluctant to budge, with Iger going as far as to call the strike “disturbing” and saying the writer’s expectations were “not realistic.”
Now, after months of striking, and five consecutive days of talks, the two sides have reached an agreement.
The SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 14, is still ongoing.
This story is developing.