Striking Hollywood writers to consider counterproposal from studios

The union representing striking Hollywood writers has said it had received a counterproposal from the studios that it would consider, an apparent sign of progress in the more than 100-day-old strike.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) said on Friday that it would respond next week "after deliberation" on the offer from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of companies including Walt Disney and Netflix.

Both sides met on August 4 to discuss resuming talks and the issues each intended to bring to the bargaining table, but the WGA afterwards criticised the studios in a sign the talks were strained.

The strike by Hollywood writers began on May 2 after talks between the WGA and the major studios reached an impasse over compensation, minimum staffing of writers' rooms and residual payments in the streaming era, among other issues.

Actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike on July 14 also over pay and artificial intelligence, effectively halting production of scripted television shows and films and affecting businesses throughout the entertainment world's orbit.

It is the first time both unions have gone on strike since 1960.

SAG-AFTRA last month warned that studios intend to create realistic digital replicas of performers, to use "for the rest of eternity, in any project they want", all for the payment of one day's work.

The studios dispute this, and say they have offered rules including informed consent and compensation.

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Source: TRT