Hollywood Writers’ Strike, As a result of the failure to reach an agreement between the unions WGA major studios (Universal, Paramount) and platforms (Netflix, Amazon, Apple) under its umbrella PTAMP (Film and Television Producers Association), while keeping the industry curious, actors and presenters do not hesitate to attend to their demands. It is the first pause in the middle of the age of flow, and indeed, the new rules of the game brought about by the platform explosion are part of the problem. Will the protest affect the Spanish audience in the increasingly global audiovisual market? And there is another fundamental question in the background, or rather existential for screenwriters: is the platform business as sustainable as it is today? Let’s examine the situation through eight issues.
What are the authors asking?
writers wanted Salary increaseIn addition structural changes in the business model that underpins the shows and movies they write about. According to WGA statistics, the average salary of writers and producers has dropped 4% over the past decade, or 23% when adjusted for inflation. The association is seeking salary increases of around $600 million and ‘residual’ improvements, i.e. compensation they receive each time their products are re-launched. They also want a ‘relic’ on an audience basis to reward the most watched shows, and for that requires transparency a section in numbers where streaming platforms are very opaque. Among the most contentious points, which were directly rejected by the studios, are the union’s proposals to assign a fixed number of writers to the series (between 6 and 12 depending on the number of episodes) and to guarantee a minimum workweek per season. (between 10 and 52). Also necessary Regulating the use of artificial intelligenceso it is not used as a base script or to rewrite material.
What did they lose with the ‘explosion’ of ‘streaming’ platforms?
In the good old days, a screenwriter could collect “leftovers” when a series was resold: due to broadcast on channels other than the original, on channels in other countries, or for use on DVD (though it was sold during the 2007-2008 strike). fought for better distribution of the benefits of these physical versions, among other reasons). This advantage has vanished due to the reluctance of ‘streamers’ to distribute their material beyond their virtual walls. In a recent “post” on Tumblr, the director recommended Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House”, “Midnight Mass”) recounted that while working for Netflix, he struggled to get his work released on Blu-ray and DVD, which they brutally rejected. “While they have some obligations to certain titles or have ‘partners’ who appreciate the physical pressures, and even flirted with the idea of releasing ‘Stranger Things’, that wasn’t their priority. In fact, it’s actively trying to ditch any launch of their business model.” Its priority is subscriptions.
Is the platform business sustainable?
“Netflix puts content above costs, but is this policy sustainable?” in The Guardian in a distant, almost naive May 2018. In 2022 – losing 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter and almost a million in the next quarter – the platform began to quell its spending urge a bit: it invested $16.7 billion in content, 4.6% less than in 2021. After the events, it decided to keep a budget of approximately $17 billion for 2023, but last year asked its employees to “spend their subscribers’ money wisely” and sparked a serious wave of cancellations, What Warner Bros. Something Discovery is participating in. A purification process of the HBO Max catalog that includes canceled renewals or extractions of once emblematic titles such as “Westworld” or “Raised by wolfs.” Even Apple, generally generous and mindful of its productions, began canceling the show early: “A Place in Heaven” won’t have a second season.
How will it affect productions (and users with backlash)?
The first to be affected by this strike night shows “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC), “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS), and “Jimmy Kimmel live!” (ABC), where writers feed the presenters jokes about current events. Right now, they’ve already started airing reruns. legendary ‘Live on Saturday night’, NBC may also close this week. The next ‘victims’ soap operasfilms that are usually written six weeks in advance and that may cause their seasons to be shortened or their shooting to be delayed, as in the case of a pandemic. If the strike were to continue into the summer, the free TV season in the fall would also be delayed. However, since the projects launched in September are started to be prepared in May or June, it is likely that the public will not realize the gap until autumn. Until then, it could be pulled with what was previously taken. effect longer term in cinemabecause they work in advance: premieres will not be affected until the last quarter of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.
What kind of content do we see if production does not re-engage?
The answer seems obvious: more ‘reality shows’. They (almost) need a script, and most of the producers who devise their own narrative lines are not affiliated with any association. More specials would definitely be live streamed ‘Love is blind’ (despite the technical disaster of the first), portraits of ‘celebrities’ ‘I am Georgina’ and franchise variations ‘Rich women…’. On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that any scripted fiction fan would have a shortage of titles to watch for several months. The excesses of the ‘Peak TV’ era created an inexhaustible catalog fund. If you see a positive point in this entertainment crisis, it is the opportunity this strike offers us to catch up with many ‘prestige’ series that we have seen only part of or perhaps never seen.
How long can the strike last?
right now uncertain, therefore, it depends on how the negotiations between WGA and AMPTP will progress in the future. There are experts who guessed some. four months of conflict When Hollywood screenwriters last stopped their activities in November 2007, the strike lasted almost 100 days and cost the industry. 2.1 billion dollars, just like him layoffs of 37,000 professionals. TV series that were of great interest at that time, such as ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘The Office’, Some were affected. Similar cuts had occurred before in 1988 (five months), 1985 (two weeks), 1981 (three months), 1973 (three and a half months), and 1960 (almost five months), but this is the first strike in the streaming era. .’.
Is this strike so important in a globalized audiovisual landscape?
It is the first time in the US, although the consequences of the strike are beginning to appear in the US in the short term, especially on free television. flow age The rules of the game are very different. It is clear that ‘Made in USA’ production is still dominant, but there are emerging markets, for example Koreanproviding a variety of materials on this subject global audiovisual environment what platforms bring. You just have to remember to ‘explode’squid game or going home, its international repercussions “Money Robbery”. “We have a large base of new series and movies from around the world, so we can probably serve our members better than most,” he said. ted sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. So for ‘streaming’ platforms, having them will be key. Is domestic production supported or not? In countries other than the US, except if they have a good ‘privacy history’.
Are there any possible conversations in Offing?
No meeting has been called so far. AMPTP left the dialog table thinking WGA was unreasonable, just as WGA thought about AMPTP. There will be no more talks until both parties really want them. For now, the writers seem intent on only making themselves heard on the strike lines, and executives are focused on developing contingency plans. If the lockout situation is prolonged, a federal mediator may step in, but this has proven ineffective in other recent Hollywood strikes.