It's been 15 years since the Writer's Guild in the US went on strike, but the people responsible for writing the scripts on talk shows, soaps and films are downing tools from today.
11,500 members of the Writer's Guild are going on strike from today after their union failed to agree a new deal with studios, following contract re-negotiations in March.
The strike will have an immediate impact on the likes of talk shows fronted by Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, who rely on writers to come up with up-to-date scripts with contemporary references on a daily basis. Both shows are expected to air re-runs from today.
Other formats which may be impacted include soaps, which have a short lead-in between when they are written and when they are filmed.
And if the strike continues for much longer, other TV shows and films may be delayed, too. While Netflix has pledged to keep their content fresh with shows made outside the US, their American-created series and films may be impacted in the future.
The last strike lasted for 100 days and all of the late-night talk shows were forced to air re-runs during that time, while other shows like '30 Rock', 'Lost', 'Breaking Bad', 'Scrubs', 'Family Guy' and 'Heroes' had begun production but were unable to complete the full seasons that were originally ordered.
The reason for the strike, meanwhile, is that writers have said that they have not been duly compensated amid the TV streaming boom, claiming to have suffered financially because of smaller residuals and shorter seasons. They say that the current industry practices do not benefit them, forcing them to work for longer hours but less money than before.
The number of TV writers now working for minimum wage has increased dramatically over the last decade, with over half of writers now at that level, compared to one-third in 2013/2014.
