Striking writers reach deal
Hollywood writers' strike all but over after union agrees settlement with studios.
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Monday, 11, Feb 2008 05:55
The Hollywood writers' strike is all but over after union representatives agreed settlement with film and television studios.
Members of the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) will meet tomorrow in New York and Los Angeles to vote on the tentative agreement reached with the Association of Movie and Television Producers (AMPTP) which should essentially double the royalties paid to writers for televised broadcast of their work.
Guild leaders recommended the three-year contract to members on Sunday, which also guarantees writers compensation for ad-supported streaming digital content and increases their residual payments for downloaded shows.
An email sent to union members by WGA West president Patric Verrone and WGA East president Michael Winship said: "While this agreement is neither perfect nor perhaps all that we deserve, our strike has been a success.
"It creates formulas for revenue-based residuals in new media; provides access to deals and financial data to help us evaluate and enforce those formulas; and establishes the principle that, 'when they get paid, we get paid'."
The movie and TV industry has been crippled by the strike, which hinged on the royalty payments given to writers when their work is redistributed on the internet, DVD and mobile phones.
Some 10,500 WGA members downed tools on November 5th last year and the strike has cost the industry an estimated $1 billion (£512 million) so far.
Some TV shows may return to air, while others with low audience numbers could be postponed until the autumn or cancelled.
The apparent resolution to the strike increases the likelihood of the 80th annual Academy awards taking place later this month.