[5][6] Alongside the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which lasted between July and November, it was part of a series of broader Hollywood labor disputes.

[10][11] Strike action also affected other areas of the entertainment ecosystem,[12] including the VFX industry[13] and prop making studios.

The WGA secured increases to minimum wage, final compensation, pension and health fund rates, improvements to terms related to length of employment and size of writing teams, and increases to residual payments for domestic and foreign streaming works.

[21][22][23] The COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath saw major reductions in the workforce and cancellations of multiple film and television productions to save money on basic residuals and music licensing costs, though Apple and Amazon remained outliers.

The ensuing fall of "Peak TV" created worsening conditions for writers, as well as actors.

[29][30] Another important proposal that the WGA is advocating for is to ensure each member of a writing team receives their own pension and their own health care funds.

[32] The AMPTP engaged in lengthy negotiations with the WGA on behalf of Amazon Studios (as well as MGM Holdings), Apple Studios, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, the Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.

Among the prominent donors were showrunners and producers J. J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Adam McKay, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Michael Schur, and John Wells.

[36][37] On June 7 and 8, 2023, picketing in the Northeast (namely in New York) was paused due to poor air quality from the 2023 Canadian wildfires.

The WGA also released a statement, which read, "Workers should not be threatened with physical harm when exercising their right to publicly protest and picket against unfair wages and working conditions.

The studio executives who anonymously spoke with Deadline stated that by October, many writers would be financially strained to the point where they would lose their housing, which they believed would allow them to be in a better position to dictate the terms of any new deal.

A spokesman for the AMPTP, speaking in relation to the strikes of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, said, "we remain committed to finding a path to mutually beneficial deals with both unions.

The note added, however, that the AMPTP had said studios "were not willing to engage" on other Writers Guild proposals, including success-based residual payments from streaming services.

[48] The union, meanwhile, remained relatively silent beyond the message of August 18, 2023: "Everybody is trying to step up and make a resolution," one executive told THR.

"[49] On August 22, 2023, AMPTP presented a proposal suggesting rules for AI content,[50] but talks between the studios and the writers remained at a stalemate until late September.

[51] On August 30,[52] California State Treasurer Fiona Ma sent letters[53] to Netflix, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, Warner Bros.

"[54] On September 6, Warner Bros. suspended deals with Mindy Kaling, J. J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, and Bill Lawrence.

[69] However, on September 18, Maher changed his mind, stating: "My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike.

Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I'm going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.

[88] Many films, television programs, and podcasts have been affected by the strike; some have continued production without writers, while others have been paused or completely shut down.

[89][90] Still, other projects with completed scripts have been postponed or canceled due to the union's use of picket lines to disrupt those productions.

[96] The strike was also discussed at the Cannes Film Festival press conferences, with Sean Penn, Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano, and Kathleen Kennedy expressing their support.

[106] Ahead of the strike, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees president Mathew Loeb informed its members of their rights to honor a picket line and that in many places their contracts "expressly" allow employees to honor lawful picket lines.

[citation needed] On May 3, 2023, the second day of the strike, The Walt Disney Company (through its ABC Signature Studios unit) sent a letter written by the studios' Assistant Chief Counsel Bob McPhail on behalf of the executives at Disney to showrunners and all other writer-producers who work for the company, saying that they must report back to work and perform their non-writer duties.

"[111] On May 4, 2023, on the Q1 earnings call for Paramount, CEO Bob Bakish addressed the strike, saying that writers were "an essential part of creating content" and that he hoped there could be "a resolution that works for everyone fairly quickly".

Bakish also stated that the company had been planning for an extended strike and shared that the company's strategy to outlast the writers' strike is to use its large streaming library located within Paramount+, the upcoming summer movie slate, which will move to the streaming service, and productions that will be completed offshore.

[120] During the strike, several celebrities announced a desire to strikebreak by resuming to film or promote amidst ongoing negotiations.