Hollywood strike: meeting between screenwriters and studios ends without agreement

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) ended their meeting with representatives of the major movie studios Friday without reaching an agreement in the strike that is shaking the Hollywood industry.

This is the first meeting since the strike began and it was not fruitful. The writers guild said in a statement carried by the The Hollywood Reporter, that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which negotiates on behalf of Walt Disney and Netflix, among others, said it needed to consult with member studios before moving forward with negotiations.

In its statement, the WGA said the AMPTP was willing to increase its offers on a "few writer-specific TV minimums and talk about AI" but did not indicate willingness to engage in screenwriters issues and other proposals.

The guild's 11,500 members went on strike on May 2, citing stagnant wages, residual streaming rights and other issues such as setting limits on the use of artificial intelligence. Next Wednesday marks the 100th day of the strike.

Therefore, a stoppage that is causing severe economic losses continues. It is estimated that the double strike initiated by the screenwriters in May and joined by the actors on July 13 could cost the nation $150 million a week.

In total, according to Forbes, the strike in Hollywood could cost the United States 4 billion dollars in losses. It is true that some cities and states are more affected by the crisis than others. In California, where Hollywood is located, the screenwriters' strike alone cost the state some 30 million dollars a day, according to Deadline's estimate.