Hollywood writers go on strike for first time in 15 years

Writers Guild of America warns that ‘survival of writing as a profession is at stake’

Hollywood writers strike 2007
The last WGA strike, in 2007-08, lasted 100 days and cost the Californian economy more than $2bn
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is going on strike for the first time in 15 years after negotiations with major studios, including Disney and Netflix, over higher pay broke down.

The move could disrupt TV programming and lead to a delay of the autumn TV season, Reuters reported. The last WGA strike, in 2007-08, lasted 100 days and cost the Californian economy more than $2bn (£1.6bn).

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.