Now that negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have broken down yet again in the sixth week of the writers’ strike, the latter is reportedly wanting to enter into early negotiations with the Directors Guild of America (DGA) concerning the DGA contract renewal.
The AMPTP, comprised of Hollywood studio bosses and executives, believes that a favourable settlement with the DGA would prompt one with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), thus forcing the WGA to follow suit. This new move comes in the midst of representatives from both the AMPTP and the WGA taking verbal swipes at each other in public.
Meanwhile, according to a poll by Wi-Fi Alliance and Kelton Research, 50% of American TV viewers are turning to the Internet for their entertainment, as the strike has severely affected broadcasters’ schedules, what with production on many television drams and sitcoms having shut down.
Even award ceremonies are affected by the strike. SAG has had to obtain a WGA script waiver for its 14th annual SAG awards on 27 January, so that the telecast can proceed unaffected by the ban on scriptwriting. Both the Golden Globes and Oscars are trying to obtain similar waivers. (Source: Studio Briefing; Hollywood Reporter).
