WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strike 2023: Today's Best Links - Thursday, September 14th

Post by: Rick Ellis 14 September, 2023

Here is a round-up of the best news coverage of the 2023 WGA/SAG-AFTRA Strike from Thursday, September 14th, 2023. Links will be added and updated throughout the day:

* The Ratings Fight At The Heart Of The Strikes: Will Netflix And Others Share More Data? (L.A. Times)
Now the battle for transparency in streaming data has become one of the biggest dividing lines in the ongoing actors' and writers' strikes, dual work stoppages that Hollywood hasn't seen since the 1960s. Performers union SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America say video streaming services have benefited from the work of their members, and they want film and TV writers and actors to be rewarded when they make a hit.

* Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Says Company Wants to Resolve Strikes ASAP After Disclosing up to $500 Million Earnings Hit From Work Stoppages (Variety)
Wiedenfels said that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav "is spending a lot of time with his peers" in working to bring an end to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA work stoppages. "We are confident there will be a solution,” he said, and “once that happens, we will get back to a normal production cadence as soon as possible."

* Talks Between The Studios And Writers Guild To Restart Soon (Strikegiest)
The Alliance for Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the major studios and streamers from Disney to Netflix, said Thursday afternoon that the Writers Guild of America had reached out and requested a new meeting. The two parties are set to meet next week, it said.

* Newsom In The Hot Seat After California Passes Bill To Give Striking Workers Unemployment Benefits (L.A. Times)
Striking workers in California, including writers and actors still picketing Hollywood studios, would be eligible for unemployment benefits under legislation state lawmakers passed on Thursday.

* Do Studios Dream Of Android Stars? (NY Times)
Striking actors and writers fear A.I. Executives don’t seem to. It's a longstanding battle over technology and control in Hollywood that plays out onscreen, too.

* Now's Your Chance To Solve A Crossword Puzzle With Natasha Lyonne (NPR)
You know that moment when you've knocked out 12 of 73 clues for the New York Times crossword, you're starting to sweat, and you think to yourself, "Man, I really wish the Emmy-award-winning actress Natasha Lyonne of Orange is the New Black was here to help me power through?"

* The Backlash Came For Drew Barrymore (Vulture)
For as long as this strike has gone on, there’s been fairly little noisy pushback about specific individuals who cross the picket line, and Barrymore feels like one of the few major celebrities to get the full Game of Thrones shame bell treatment. Why?