The writers' strike is officially ending following round-the-clock negotiations to reach a three-year deal over the last few weeks.
Negotiating teams for both the striking writers' union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and the Hollywood studios, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), recently confirmed they have struck a deal with the aim of bringing an end to the work stoppage. On Monday (October 9), the WGA members officially ratified the agreement.
The WGA had been on strike since May 2 over issues including pay and residuals, improvements to working conditions, and concerns about the impact of generative AI on content production.
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WGAW West president Meredith Stiehm said on Monday: "Through solidarity and determination, we have ratified a contract with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of our combined membership.
"Together we were able to accomplish what many said was impossible only six months ago. We would not have been able to achieve this industry-changing contract without WGA chief negotiator Ellen Stutzman, negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman, the entire WGA negotiating committee, strike captains, lot coordinators, and the staff that supported every part of the negotiation and strike."
The ratification process involved the deal terms going to the WGA West board and WGA East council for their consideration. Once they'd agreed, the proposal was put to the WGA's members for their ratification on Monday.
Related: All the TV shows affected by the writers and actors strikes
What does the end of the writers' strike mean for your favourite films and TV shows? Now that the WGA's 11,500 members have ratified the agreement, it means writers are now able to work on TV episodes and film scripts again.
Hollywood studios like Disney and Netflix are free to contract with writers for new projects, as all such negotiations have been on pause during the strike.
However, the end of the WGA strike doesn't mean Hollywood is fully getting back to work. Members of Hollywood's acting union, SAG-AFTRA, are also striking at the moment.
The actors have been on strike since July 14, and while they have often been shown picketing with WGA members, they are not covered under this new agreement between the WGA and the AMPTP.
The two unions had their own unique terms for a new contract with the AMPTP, and those had to be negotiated completely separately from one another.
At the moment, actors will remain on strike and will not be allowed to film or promote any project under the auspices of SAG-AFTRA unless a specific waiver has been signed (like with Jenna Ortega's movie Death of a Unicorn and the Walking Dead spin-off shows).
Both the actors and the writers did share some of the same concerns, like streaming residuals and protections against AI, so it could be a positive sign that the WGA has managed to reach an agreement with the AMPTP.
As of Monday, the bargaining committee for SAG-AFTRA and representatives for AMPTP have been meeting in Hollywood in hopes of reaching an end of the strike for actors.
The actors' guild released its own statement following news of the WGA deal, saying: "SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency, and solidarity on the picket lines.
"While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP's tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.
"Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside the writers on the picket lines. We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand."
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
Kate's team at Digital Spy were proudly nominated in the Best Subbing/Production Team category at the BSME Talent Awards 2022. Over the years, she has contributed to coverage of many, many Prime Days and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and was part of the team that launched the DS weekly TV newsletter in November 2019 – followed by the Top of the Shops e-commerce newsletter in May 2024.
Kate's screen passions include Taskmaster (their biggest career regret remains turning down the opportunity to visit the house), nature documentaries, and live sport (up there with the greatest of all soap operas although if asked to choose, it's Corrie… every time).
Her highlights while working at DS have included interviewing Stevie Nicks on the red carpet for her documentary In Your Dreams, sitting at a press roundtable with Formula 1 commentary icon Murray Walker, watching a life-sized LEGO car being driven around Silverstone, writing an album-by-album retrospective of Lady Gaga's genre-defying career for Living Legends, and raising awareness of receiving and understanding a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis through the lens of Bianca and Freddie's EastEnders storyline.
Upon remembering to log off the internet, Kate enjoys live theatre, dance and comedy, appreciating nature, baking (badly), tending a recently-rented allotment (equally badly) and pampering one very spoiled rescue cat named Jolene.
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