It has been raised that Hollywood broadcast and film writers, who have been on strike for five months, may soon reach an agreement with the production company group.
CNN broadcast, citing sources, reported on the 24th that negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which has about 11,000 Hollywood writers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) could be concluded as early as this week.
AMPTP is an organization representing large corporate studios such as Netflix, Disney, and Discovery-Warner.
American entertainment media Variety also reported that the WGA and AMPTP have unofficially set the deadline for this strike to be Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday. Yom Kippur, which means ‘Day of Atonement’, is a day when Jews repent of their sins and practice forgiveness and reconciliation through fasting. This year, it falls on September 24th and 25th.
To this end, the WGA and AMPTP have been engaged in marathon negotiations for several days. It is said that the producers made their ‘last and best offer’ to the Writers Guild.
The strike, which started on May 2, will be the second longest strike in history, following 1988, which lasted 154 days.
Even if a tentative agreement is reached soon, the WGA still has to obtain consent from more than 11,000 writers. In addition, even if negotiations are concluded, the Hollywood Actors and Broadcasters’ Union (SAG-AFTRA), which represents about 160,000 actors, is also on strike, so it is unclear whether writers will return to work immediately.
This is because the Writers Guild went on strike first, and the Actors Guild also went on strike two months later, so the two organizations virtually kept pace with the strike. However, CNN observed that the conclusion of negotiations between the Writers Guild and the producers could put pressure on the actors to reach an agreement as well.
The Writers’ Guild began a strike on May 2, calling for transparent disclosure and distribution of profits from the streaming business and guaranteeing writers’ rights in relation to the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). The Actors’ Guild has also joined the strike since July 14th, demanding wage increases, and production companies are unable to release even completed films.
Experts estimate that the strike will cause economic losses of up to $5 billion.