How streaming caused the TV writers strike

A video featuring four writers talking about how the way scripted television is made nowadays has transformed the careers of writers.

Vox produced this excellent video featuring four television writers: Warren Leight, Julia Yorks, Erica Saleh, and Joe Riccobene. From Vox:

Thousands of television and film writers who are part of the Writers Guild of America are in the middle of a historic strike. They’re forming picket lines in front of studios, and productions in New York and Los Angeles and shutting down active sets. The last time they went on strike was 15 years ago — when streaming’s impact on the film and television industry was only just taking shape. This time around, they are striking for better residuals and rights against the looming threat of AI, among other concerns.

At the core of this dispute is streaming and how it’s revolutionized the industry. Companies like Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, and more have given consumers an unprecedented array of films and TV shows and opened the door to new voices that don’t have to adhere to mainstream network formats. On the other hand, streaming has also changed how television gets produced, the role writers play, and how they get paid. We interviewed four television writers and showrunners about how streaming has changed how they work, how their incomes have taken a hit, and why it has become harder than ever to build a career.

Here is the video.

The video has generated a lot of interest. Currently, there are 742 comments including this one from admc:

This strike feels so quintessential as for how streaming platforms are actively sabotaging themselves. In a day and age where major streaming services are laughed at for mass producing shitloads of mediocre to bad shows that get axed after a season, the services instate a business model that actively diminishes the vital connection between cast and writers while also disincentivizing putting in the work to produce something fantastic.

And this one from John Chessant:

If writing becomes an unsustainable career then only the wealthiest will be able to pursue it. Morally, with the power to set such a large portion of our cultural language, these companies have a responsibility to ensure that process is equitable and inclusive. But how silly of me I forgot, maximizing profits for shareholders is obviously more important.

Here is a great episode from The Daily podcast about the strike: LINK.

Twitter: @warrenleightTV, @juliayorks, @ericals, @voxdotcom.

For more Vox videos, go here.

For the latest updates on the strike and news resources as aggregated on Go Into The Story, go here.