The Writers Guild of America (WGA) labor union is on strike!
The ongoing dispute between the WGA labor union and the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) has forced the former body to go on strike. This scenario has made the 2023 WGA strike the biggest hindrance to America’s film production and television industries after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WGA has engaged in the strike to demand better pay standards in the current streaming service era. The writers at the union feel that they deserve fair compensation for their work due to the significant shift in the television world from broadcast networks to streaming platforms.
This is WGA’s first strike in 15 years, after the union’s strike of 2007-08, where they demanded an increase in their payments compared to the profits of the large-scale studios.
So, the real question is this: How will the ongoing WGA strike affect streaming services, such as Netflix and Prime Video?
Well, it seems like the streaming world can weather the storm for some time. Prominent streaming platforms, like Netflix, Prime Video, and many more, have a vast collection of forthcoming projects. Although, the odds of them postponing the releases of their future shows or movies will increase due to the strike.
Here’s how Ted Sarandos (Netflix’s CEO) addressed the matter at a recent earnings call, “If there is [a strike], we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world. We could probably serve our members better than most.”
Will we see Netflix releasing episodes every week rather than dropping them all at once from its big shows? Well, this scenario depends on how much the streaming giant depends upon the American writers.
On May 1, the AMPTP entered into lengthy negotiations over pay disputes with the WGA labor union. The former body represented several big platforms, such as Netflix, Apple Studios, Amazon Studios, the Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, Paramount, NBC, and Warner Bros Discovery. However, AMPTP’s efforts were unsuccessful as it failed to reach a satisfactory deal with the WGA before the mandated deadline. Stay tuned for more updates.