Hollywood sign overlooking the city of Los Angeles - Photo by International Traveler
LOS ANGELES, May 1 (Reuters) – 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.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) called its first work stoppage in 15 years after failing to reach an agreement for higher pay from studios such as Walt Disney Co and Netflix Inc. The last strike lasted 100 days and cost the California economy more than $2 billion.
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said in a statement on its website.
The Guild represents roughly 11,500 writers in New York, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. Members were scheduled to start picketing outside of Hollywood studios starting Tuesday afternoon.
Late-night talk shows such as “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” are expected to go dark immediately and air re-runs. That means new installments will not be available on traditional networks or streaming services such as Hulu and Peacock that make the shows available the following day.
Next to be disrupted could be daytime soap operas since they are traditionally written not long before they are filmed.
Primetime comedies and dramas currently on air should be able to wrap up seasons uninterrupted – their episodes for the coming weeks will have already been written and filmed.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the studios, said late on Monday it had offered “generous increases in compensation” to writers but the two sides were unable to reach a deal.
Media companies are facing a tough economic backdrop. Conglomerates are under pressure from Wall Street to make their streaming services profitable after investing billions of dollars in programming to attract subscribers.
The rise of streaming has led to declining television ad revenue, as traditional TV audiences shrink and advertisers go elsewhere. On top of that, the threat of a recession in the world’s biggest economy also looms.
The last WGA strike, in 2007 and 2008, cost the California economy an estimated $2.1 billion as productions shut down and out-of-work writers, actors, and producers cut back spending.
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