WGA Argues That Writer Pay Is ‘Falling Behind’ in Shift to Streaming

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America continued on Tuesday to frame its arguments in advance of bargaining, putting out a report that maintains that writers are “falling behind” in the streaming economy.

The report follows another memo to members last Friday, which argued that entertainment companies remain highly profitable overall, despite incurring heavy losses on their streaming platforms.

The latest report focuses on industry trends toward shorter TV seasons, which the guild says has depressed writers’ wages. Compared to a decade ago, the WGA also says that a higher percentage of writers are working for guild minimums. “The companies have leveraged the streaming transition to underpay writers, creating more precarious, lower-paid models for writers’ work,” the report concluded. “Our 2023 negotiations must significantly address writer compensation.” The total number of scripted TV shows, including broadcast, cable and streaming, has more than doubled in the last decade.

Over the same period, the total number of employed writers has increased by nearly 30%, according to guild data. Total writer earnings are also up significantly, rising more than 50% from 2011 to 2021, according to the guild’s data.