What WGA received in its new agreement with Hollywood

After almost five months, the Writers Guild of America strike has finally come to an end, with union members approving a new deal from major Hollywood studios after walking off the job on May 2.

The agreement means that writers for the shows can resume their work. Meanwhile, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the union for actors, has yet to reach a deal with the studios.

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS GAIN PROTECTIONS FROM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPLACEMENTS

Here is what the WGA and studios agreed to.

Artificial intelligence

Among the biggest concerns protesting writers had during the strike was regarding the use of artificial intelligence, which some feared could replace writers altogether. However, the agreement will prevent studios from mandating writers to use AI when writing a script, though writers can opt to use AI if given permission from the studio.

Additionally, studios will need to inform writers if they are given any material that is AI-generated.

Chris Pizzello/AP

Increased pay

Under this three-year deal, writers will receive a 5% wage increase in the first year, a 4% increase in the second year, and a 3.5% increase in the third year.

Streaming bonuses

Beyond the increased pay, writers will also receive bonuses based on how much the shows they have written are viewed by audiences. The contract will also give the Writers Guild of America access to confidential viewership metrics for shows based on hours viewed.

Minimum staffing

Minimum staffing relates to having a certain number of writers per television series. A series with up to six episodes per season will need at least three writers, while a series of seven to 12 episodes will need at least five writers and a series of 13 or more episodes per season will need at least six writers.

This requirement will apply to all greenlighted shows “unless a single writer is employed to write all episodes of a season,” according to a document detailing the deal.

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The end of the writers strike means that multiple television shows will likely return to the small screen soon, with late-night shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Late Night with Seth Meyers all set to return on Monday.

Scripted television will take longer to return to TV because it is dependent on actors, who are still on strike. However, the scripts for those shows can be worked on while the actor’s strike is occurring.