These days, television shows are viewable whenever anyone wants to watch them. While that convenience has been a game changer for audiences, it’s become a financial nightmare for the writers whose creativity makes these shows possible.
As a perfect illustration of this disconnect, which has helped lead the Writers Guild of America to go on strike this week, check out this tweet from “Abbott Elementary” writer Brittani Nichols:
Let’s break that down a little. Before Hulu, Netflix and approximately two dozen other streaming services were available on your phone, tablet and television, if you missed episodes of your favorite TV shows when they aired, you could only see them in reruns during the off-season. Or, more likely for those that crossed the fabled 100-episode line, it’d be once they get picked up for syndication.
Nichols, as the writer of the “Abbott Elementary” second-season finale, was paid for her work writing the episode. While like in the pre-streaming days, she’ll still receive a check in the mail for that episode re-airing on ABC, the amount she’ll get for streaming viewership — a growing share of the audience — will be for a much lower rate, despite the massive numbers the show has racked up.
These residuals have long been key to how TV writers make a living, especially when between projects. But the streaming boom has made that system untenable. Here’s how Charles Slocum, assistant executive director at the WGA West, explained it to Deadline:
“In streaming, the companies have not agreed to pay residuals at the same level as broadcast, or the same reward-for-success as they have traditionally paid in broadcast,” he said. “If you write for a streamer, you get two residuals payments — one for domestic streaming and one for foreign streaming. It’s a set amount of money. If it’s a big hit, you do not get paid more residuals in streaming, whereas in the broadcast model, you do because of its success.”
Deadline
On the other…
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