Writers say 'Peak TV' has hurt them; contract talks extended
On Monday, the Writers Guild of America will resume negotiations over a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents broadcast and cable networks and movie studios.
With the WGA moving to authorize a strike, Hollywood is hoping to avoid a crippling work stoppage like the 100-day strike of 2007 that put prime-time TV into reruns and blockbuster movies on hold.
"Nowadays, two-thirds of all shows including some on broadcast, are produced with fewer episodes but we're still paid episodic fees," says Chris Keyser, a veteran writer and WGA negotiating committee co-chair.
In a statement heading into the resumption of talks, the producers alliance, which represents about 350 companies, said, Our objective continues to be to reach an agreement with the WGA at the bargaining table.
Other significant bargaining points involve the writers' health plan, script fees and residuals across cable and streaming platforms.
According to the WGA — which numbers about 20,000 — median earnings for writers dropped between the 2013-14 season and 2015-16, and more and more writers are finding it difficult to make a living even in supposedly flush times.
The writers struck in 1985 over the VHS home video market, and later felt unfairly left out when DVD revenues soared in the 1990s.
[...] these negotiations, propelled by today's TV landscape, are more straightforward and leave less to speculation.