The WGA and the WGA's Arbitration Against Netflix

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The WGA recently won an arbitration against Netflix in the summer where they won something like 42 million dollars in unpaid residuals for you know about 200 writers so there's a lot at stake. There are fewer episodes that are being made but sometimes stretched out over longer periods of time which is generally a bugbear for writers. Writers want to have obviously be paid more than to change the payment structure if that's going to be the way it is and I think it's tv has changed so muchYou don't have these long series it is series anymore but also it's become more theatrical a lot of these tv shows can be a lot more, he says.

Paris Marx is joined by Anousha Sakoui to discuss the prospect of a writer’s strike later this year, what workers are fighting for, and how the move to streaming has affected working conditions and compensation in Hollywood.

Anousha Sakoui is an entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering topics including labor and litigation in Hollywood. She was part of the team that was a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news for work covering the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. You can follow Anousha on Twitter at @anoushasakoui.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Anousha wrote about how the Writers Guild and Directors Guild are approaching upcoming negotiations with studios.
David Robb wrote about the history of Writers Guild strikes, and why another one seems overdue.
WGA West recently blasted Warner Discovery for reducing opportunities for content creators after its merger.
In 2021, IATSE was poised to go on strike before reaching a last-minute deal with the studios that was accepted by members.
A new deal will loosen some Covid protocols on film sets.
In 2021, Apple was paying lower rates to production crews because it said its TV+ service has less than 20 million subscribers. In July 2022, it started paying the higher rate.
In 2018, the Hollywood Reporter reflected on the 2007 writers strike after ten years.
The 2007 writers strike helped revive Donald Trump’s flagging The Apprentice show with a spinoff, The Celebrity Apprentice.