What The Writer’s Strike Means For The Television Industry

The Writers Strike is ongoing and it looks like it will be around for a while.

In one corner you have the Writers Guild of America, a union representing thousands of film and media writers, versus the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. The AMPTP is an association of American media companies like ABC, Warner Bros and Netflix.

It’s the first WGA strike since 2007 and that lasted 100 days and resulted in many show cancellations.

At the center of the strike is the conflict over the AMPTP’s proposed contract. It angered television writers because it includes decreases in the size of writers’ rooms and pay cuts for thousands of workers. 

From April 11 to April 17, the WGA East and West unions authorized a vote to go on strike. Almost 98% of the union members voted yes. 

Protests began on May 2, and recent demonstrations have occurred outside the Warner Bros. studio in Los Angeles and NBC headquarters in New York City.

Per agreement with the WGA, writers will not show up to meetings or take part in any writing, pitching, or revision. Without writers, the media industry will face severe ramifications. 

Because of the boycott, people expect many streaming shows to be halted. There are even reports of new movies suspending filming. The television series Abbot Elementary is one example of a long list of productions that have been paused.

“We’re striking because screenwriting has been devalued by the studios. Writer pay is down, and we’re looking to add protection to our contract that will allow our profession to continue to exist,” said Abbot Elementary writer Brittani Nichols in an interview on CBS News.

Writers deserve to make a proper living, media companies are once again showing they are of no value to them. 

The strike will continue if the AMPTP partners don’t negotiate a fair deal. So the media and entertainment industry will lose a lot due to their greed and selfishness.