Writers' strike in Hollywood: what are the writers asking for? What series will leave you without seeing? How does it affect studies?

Day three of the first Hollywood strike in 15 years.

Screenwriters, grouped into the Writers Guild of America, are one of the most combative guilds in the industry.

This is the sixth time they have left their jobs.

In November 2007 they did it for 100 days.

In 1988 it was five months.

The consensus now assumes that this will be a long protest.

It is at stake to define the way of working in the era of content on demand.

These are the keys to the conflict.

Why did the strike break out?

This is the first strike of the

era .

The WGA and the eight studios, brought together in the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), did not reach agreements on the renewal of the collective agreement for the next three years.

The companies rejected or did not make counterproposals on seven of the 14 petitions the writers put on the table.

At the center of the dispute is the amount that writers receive each time a television show, series or movie in which they participated is rebroadcast, known in the industry as residuals.

The union, which has about 10,000 members, asks that studios accept a minimum number of writers for early development of projects in

(a reduced version of the writers' room).

The WGA proposed at least six writers with a contract of at least 10 consecutive weeks of work.

The studies have argued that they can improve the offer, but they do not agree that a “mandatory” number of employees is imposed or for the duration of the contract.

An increase in the weekly minimum for writers is also required, which is over $4,546.

This represents a range between $91,000 and $109,000 for a job of 20 or 24 weeks.

The union also requested usual improvements in the negotiation of collective contracts, such as an increase in contributions to pension funds and health insurance.

According to the union document, the organization asked for improvements for 429 million dollars, but only received an offer for 86 million.

46% of this is due to a 2% increase in the minimum wage.

A group of writers protest outside the Paramount studio in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello (AP)

How much do digital platforms weigh in negotiation?

Streamers

like

have the strength that linear television networks had in previous negotiations.

The war between digital platforms made parent companies invest in catalogs to be more attractive and thus grow subscribers.

This Thursday, in full strike, Paramount announced that it had added 4.1 million subscribers to reach 60 million.

Scriptwriters argue that part of this growth is due to the content they develop.

Hollywood labor disputes reflect the current state of the industry.

In 2007 there were differences about animation and

There were also disagreements over the amount the writers received in residuals from the DVDs.

The new media, the digital platforms, were beginning to be regulated.

Today, however, the center of the discussion is occupied by television writers.

They represent two thirds of the members of the WGA.

Digital platforms have rejected most of the proposed adjustments to residual amounts because this would force them to make their viewership numbers by title more transparent, something that companies like Netflix have closely guarded as part of their business strategy.

What are residuals?

Michael Jamin has built a huge audience on Tik Tok by revealing in a video each month how much he earns from residuals.

The scriptwriter shows the checks that arrive at his door for this concept.

“Every time a studio sells a show I wrote to a new market, they get a lot of money and this is my little cut.

It is not free money, it is in exchange for something for authorship and

, ”he explained in March.

That month he received 38 cents per episode of

and another $146.

For the comedy

he got 93 cents.

And for

, which he wrote for five seasons, he was paid $1,350.

Screenwriter Valentina Garza (

,

,

) shared the amount of one of the checks that came to her on Wednesday with her followers.

“In case you're wondering why we're on strike, this is what I got for two episodes of

.

One is for 0.1 cents and the other for 0.2 cents.

companies

can do better,” she stated.

The WGA requested among its requirements that the amount of residuals be based on the number of subscribers abroad.

The amount for services with less than 20 million would be from $6,600 to $20,000 for platforms with more than 75 million subscribers.

The studios counter bid $1,000 for the smallest and $8,000 for the largest.

They also refused to set a figure for residuals per audience.

How does it affect the industry?

The

have been the first to be affected by the work stoppage, since the programs are subject to the news of the day.

While the strike lasts, the writers cannot be present in the studios or filming.

They may not write new scripts or modify previous versions.

So late-night network TV shows headlined by Jimmy Fallon on NBC;

Jimmy Kimmel on ABC;

Stephen Colbert on CBS have begun airing reruns.

The strike has other repercussions.

The conflict directly affects the negotiation that the directors' union will begin next week.

The DGA (Directors Guild of America) contract expires on June 30.

This union hasn't gone on strike in 40 years.

But the discussion of residuals on

platforms , another central point in the directors' sights, could change everything.

After the directors, it will be the turn of the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA.

The writers' brake will affect the pace of a vital industry for California.

Depending on who you ask, the 2007 strike impacted the local economy between $500 million, the most conservative estimate, and $2.1 billion (according to the Milken Institute).

That of 2023 will slow down even more a year that started off weak.

FilmLa, the Los Angeles County office that advises productions, said filming in the region is down 24% in the first quarter from last year.

Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis in an episode of the series 'Billions'.

What series or movies will stop broadcasting?

Saturday Night Live

, the popular NBC

show , which bases many of its scripts on last minute writing, has announced that it will not air on Saturday.

Pete Davidson was going to be the host.

The last two shows are also at risk of not airing.

Studies believe that some 600 productions may be paralyzed by the strike.

Some of these are blockbuster series like Hacks.

The HBO/Max comedy, winner of seven Emmy Awards, has announced that it has halted filming on its third season.

The same has happened with Showtime's

.

Union solidarity with the WGA may trigger new problems.

This Thursday, drivers from the Teamsters, the largest union in the US, refused to cross the pickets with their trucks at the studios where

was filmed in New York.

This delayed the production of the drama starring Paul Giamatti by several hours.

This will continue with the scripts that are already in the hands of the producers.

Similar delays also occurred in the filming of

.

"If you draw a line, the fucking trucks are going to stop... The only way we're going to beat these sons of bitches is if we do it together," said Lindsay Dougherty, leader of the Teamsters' section 399 in a meeting Tuesday in Los Angeles.

When will viewers notice the writers' strike?

It will be difficult in the short term to see changes in the screen with which Amazon Prime, Max or Netflix receives us every night.

Companies have a lot of offer in their catalogues.

To this are added the original programs and movies that each platform produces to make itself more attractive.

This content serves as a cushion for companies, which already have most of the titles for the year ready.

The same is true of summer movies, which are already ready for release at the highest grossing time of the year.

' offer

could be affected for next year depending on how long the protest lasts.

It remains to be seen how long the studies will yield to the pressure.