Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu pay writers significantly less in residuals compared to traditional networks, which is a major issue in the current Writers Guild strike.
The shift to shorter seasons and fewer episodes per season on streaming also means fewer opportunities for writers to earn residuals.
Mini-rooms, where writers help develop shows but often don’t get staff writer jobs if the show is picked up, are another issue in the current strike.
The 2007 writers strike led to an increase in reality TV shows and helped launch The Apprentice and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which benefited Donald Trump and the Kardashians.
Labor disputes in entertainment have major consequences for the media itself and the culture around it.
While AI cannot independently write good TV shows yet, it can produce content at massive scale for a fraction of the cost, which media companies find attractive.
Consolidation in the media industry through mergers has led to layoffs and content culling to cut costs and increase profits for shareholders, despite record profits in the industry.
Media companies are using AI as a way to cut costs and increase margins, even if the end product suffers creatively or for consumers.
The structure of how we consume TV and film is constantly changing and is defined by business models and labor disputes.
The writers’ fight for fair compensation from large corporations sets them on the front lines of a broader fight against automation that many workers may face.
Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu pay writers significantly less in residuals compared to traditional networks, which is a major issue in the current Writers Guild strike.
The shift to shorter seasons and fewer episodes per season on streaming also means fewer opportunities for writers to earn residuals.
Mini-rooms, where writers help develop shows but often don’t get staff writer jobs if the show is picked up, are another issue in the current strike.
The 2007 writers strike led to an increase in reality TV shows and helped launch The Apprentice and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which benefited Donald Trump and the Kardashians.
Labor disputes in entertainment have major consequences for the media itself and the culture around it.
While AI cannot independently write good TV shows yet, it can produce content at massive scale for a fraction of the cost, which media companies find attractive.
Consolidation in the media industry through mergers has led to layoffs and content culling to cut costs and increase profits for shareholders, despite record profits in the industry.
Media companies are using AI as a way to cut costs and increase margins, even if the end product suffers creatively or for consumers.
The structure of how we consume TV and film is constantly changing and is defined by business models and labor disputes.
The writers’ fight for fair compensation from large corporations sets them on the front lines of a broader fight against automation that many workers may face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK6oCDm9MyY