WGA Reaches Surprise Deal With Studios
Variety • • general
Key Points:
- The Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a surprise tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) nearly a month before the contract’s May 1 expiration, agreeing to a four-year deal instead of the usual three-year term.
- The deal is expected to include a significant cash infusion into the WGA’s health fund, which has lost $200 million over the past four years, though specific details have not yet been released.
- Unlike the previous contract cycle, which involved a 148-day strike, there was little appetite for a strike this time, partly due to the ongoing WGA West staff strike and concerns about the global industry contraction.
- Key negotiation points included health fund stability, improvements on streaming residuals, TV staffing minimums, and protections related to artificial intelligence use in screenplay training.
- The WGA agreement may serve as a template for upcoming negotiations with SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America, whose contracts expire on June 30.
