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Pressures have been mounting in Hollywood for years as the rise of the streaming era rewrote the rules of engagement between studios and creatives. As outlined by the Associated Press, the Writers Guild of America formally declared its intention to strike on April 17, 2023. Negotiations ran until 11:59 p.m. on May 1, with the WGA demanding, among other things, higher minimum pay, shortened exclusivity contracts, and a promise not to replace them with AI, among other items. For their part, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing the majors, claims to have offered higher minimum wages and more streaming residuals. However, those appear to have been the sole concessions offered among the much broader package of WGA demands.
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Today’s strike marks the first WGA strike since 2007, during which late-night shows either went dark or hosts began writing their own shows. During that time, “Saturday Night Live” was off the air until more than a week after the strike ended in February 2008 (via The Hollywood Reporter). “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, whose previous Comedy Central show “The Colbert Report” also felt the effects of the 2007 strike, told the Associated Press today, “Everyone, including myself, hope both sides reach a deal. But I also think that the writers’ demands are not unreasonable.”
