After 148 days, the Writers Guild of America’s strike (WGA) was ended on September 27th, 2023. The strike began on May 2nd, and went on to be the longest work stoppage of the WGA. It was the first WGA strike since 2007, concerning the digital world’s escalating impact in television and cinema. The strike that spanned over the course of multiple months began as a result of two main factors: streaming services and artificial intelligence. As the market for cable television continues to dwindle, streaming services have seen an increase in use. Television programs are now produced with the phenomenon of binge-watching taken into consideration, which takes away from a traditional form of payment in the entertainment industry.
With content that is produced exclusively for the like of streaming services, residual checks are not distributed between writers and actors. Residual payments cover revenue from cable broadcasts and production of physical copies, while streaming services tend to pay for a period of filming upfront. Given that television programs debut with live broadcasts less often in current times, residual checks have even gotten down to under a dollar. In 2023, Netflix reached approximately 250 million subscribers: equating to roughly 70% of the United States’ population. Since 2019, about 5 million households have committed to streaming and decided to drop cable television altogether every year. Subsequently, the financial lives of screenwriters across the nation have been jeopardized.
Artificial intelligence has also posed a threat for the stability of the WGA. In 2022, ChatGPT was introduced to the world of education, and it quickly became a notorious service. The more artificial intelligence is influenced by humans, the more it is able to generate extensive pieces of writing that appear humane. This puts the work of all writers at stake.
“My thoughts are that artists deserve to be compensated fairly for their art, regardless of whether it’s music, painting, or writing. I don’t know if I endorse all actions on the WGA’s end, but I support their mission,” Mr. Daniel Kaplan said. As of October 9th, 2023, the WGA strike has officially been finalized with an overwhelming majority of 99% of the WGA voting to ratify a new contract deal. Currently, writers’ room sessions for television programs have been on the rise again, along with the revival of late night television. Hits such as Saturday Night Live have been booted up again, even kicking off a new season with comedian Pete Davidson and rapper Ice Spice on the 14th of October.
“It’s a step in the right direction because writers should be treated properly,” said Abigail Freire ‘26, “hopefully we can see the same for the actors soon.” Currently, the Screen Actors Guild remains on strike, but are set to be in talks with studios in Hollywood this month. The entertainment industry is beginning to look up once again, courtesy of negotiations between both parties of the work stoppages.
