Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, September 26th, 2023
The WGA strike is over
Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, September 26th, 2023.
THE WGA STRIKE IS OVER
The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP over the weekend and today, the WGA Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12:01 am tonight. It will now go to both guild memberships for a ratification vote, which will take place between October 2nd and 9th.
Here is a link to the summary of the 2023 WGA MBA.
Here is a link to the 94-page memorandum of agreement.
Here is a link to the 7-page comparison between the WGA and AMPTP proposals as of May 1st and the terms of the new tentative agreement.
Here is a copy of the strike termination agreement.
There is a lot to wade through right now and I am hesitant to jump too deep in with a quick take. But my overall first impression is that while neither side got everything they wanted, the WGA managed to get a lot accomplished. They didn't get the minimum writing room sizes they were pushing for, but they did get significant movement. They obtained some performance-based residuals and there will be some numbers shared with participants, although as in the case of other territories where this approach has happened, there will be a lot of confidentiality.
* For instance, I am already seeing writers saying "Hey, we're finally getting some viewing numbers from streamers!" Which is true, if by "we," you mean the WGA will get the numbers. But apparently won't be able to share them publicly: "Companies agree to provide the Guild, subject to a confidentiality agreement, the total number of hours streamed, both domestically and internationally, of self-produced high budget streaming programs (e.g., a Netflix original series). Aggregated information can be shared."
* It's definitely good news for writing teams, as each member of a team gets P&H contributions as if they were writing as an individual.
* There are a lot of guidelines concerning the use of AI and this sentence jumped out, because it addresses the fear of some writers they that they'll be asked to rewrite a script that was generated using AI: "Company must disclose to writer if any material given to writer has been generated by AI or incorporates AI-generated material."
* There was movement on residuals and payments for AVOD as well, albeit high-budget AVOD: "High-budget made-for AVOD programs get same initial compensation as HBSVOD programs. There is also a 2% residual for AVOD reuse."
* I have to spend some time parsing out the foreign streaming residuals deal points. At first glance, it looks as if the smaller SVODS (with less than 20,000,000 foreign subs) were hit much harder than the larger services. And Paramount+ and Max continue to pay a lower license-fee-based residual.
* Feature writers also seem to have gotten some help, with pay boosts on high budget SVODs and the requirement of a 2nd step if hired for a screenplay for 200% of minimum or less.
As I said, there is a lot to go through and I'll be reaching out tonight and tomorrow to get a better sense of the positives and negatives from both sides.
And because I have a very wise group of readers, what is your take on the terms? Email me at rick@allyourscreens.com
TALK TO THE PRESS, DAMMIT
I've spent weeks going back-and-forth with various WGA neg committee, board members and other influential guild members about their messaging strategy during the strike. I've written here about some of my discussions (and occasional arguments), so I'm not going to going rehash that again.
But one of the reasons why I've argued that the WGA should be talking to more reporters at least on background is best illustrated by a piece that posted today in The Hollywood Reporter. Now both Kim Masters and Leslie Goldberg are veteran reporters who I trust to get the story right. At least as much of the story as their told. But it's pretty clear which side of the story you're going to be getting based on this headline/subhead:
And if you read the piece closely, you start to get a sense of the general sources for the story. There are a couple of comments from unidentified showrunners. But only someone from the studio side would construct the scenario laid out in this paragraph:
Once negotiations resumed Sept. 20, it was clear that Iger was the elder statesman and the only leader who had been through the last writers’ strike. Zaslav, with the least amount of experience in the scripted world, was still a seasoned negotiator of many tough deals. Langley brought a level head and the most hands-on creative experience, as well as strong relationships with talent. One source described her as “the diplomat” in the room. Sources say Sarandos, in the run-up to the final marathon negotiation, had spent more time communicating with SAG-AFTRA than with the WGA but ultimately aligned with the other three.
If you are beginning to pick up on the Iger-friendly framing of the piece, you are not alone. And to be clear, I've heard quite a bit off the record about what happened in the room and in breakout discussions in the days leading up to the final tentative deal. It's not that I have heard anything that is directly opposed to the recounting of the negotiations laid out in this piece. But it doesn't provide the entire story either. The CEOs were certainly not as self-assured and on message as the piece suggests. At least, not according to people I have spoken with.
After the piece posted, I saw a number of senior WGA people pushing back on social media, arguing that once again, one of the trades was trying to rewrite history.
I'm sympathetic. But if you want you story heard, you have to be willing to tell it. Even if it's on background.
The weird thing is that for a guild comprised of writers, the WGA executives often don't have a lot of faith in journalists to tell their story accurately.
I did have a WGA board member suggest to me today that they were staying quiet until the tentative deal was voted on and everyone was back at work. Fair enough. I hope when that happens, I'm able to convince a few WGA sources to at least talk on background about the negotiations process and how accurately they felt the press coverage has been throughout the process.
WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND TOMORROW:
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH:
* Chappelle’s Home Team - Luenell: Town Business (Netflix)
* Dancing With The Stars Season Premiere (ABC)
* Savior Complex (HBO)
* 72 Hours In Rittenhouse Square (Paramount+)
* The Fake Sheikh (Prime Video)
* The Victoria's Secret World Tour (Prime Video)
* Who Killed Jill Dando? (Netflix)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023:
* America's Got Talent Season Finale (NBC)
* Celebrity Jeopardy! Season Premiere (ABC)
* Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune Season Premiere (ABC)
* Encounters Series Premiere (Netflix)
* L-Pop Series Premiere (Disney+)
* Love In Fairhope Series Premiere (Hulu)
* Overhaul (Netflix)
* Physical Season Three Finale (Apple TV+)
* Snake Oil Series Premiere (Fox)
* Strange Planet Season One Finale (Apple TV+)
* Street Flow 2 (Netflix)
* Survivor Season Forty-Five Premiere (CBS)
* The Amazing Race Season Thirty-Five Premiere (CBS)
* The $100,000 Pyramid Season Premiere (ABC)
* The Masked Singer Season Premiere (Fox)
* The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Netflix)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY!
If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.