It wasn’t shocking at all that, when the Writers Guild of America West published their 2023 annual financial report, it revealed a drop in earnings and employment for television and film writers – a decline that coincided with a 148-day strike by union members against studios and streaming platforms.
Despite a labor strike-free atmosphere, employment figures dropped below their strike-era levels by one year later. Surprisingly, earnings managed a slight recovery during this period. This information is taken from the union’s 2024 annual financial report, which was made available to members on Friday and has been reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter.
2024 wasn’t the best year for my gaming earnings as a WGA West member. Compared to the previous year, I saw a decrease of 9.4%, and if we go back to 2022, it was even worse with a drop of 24.3%. However, despite this downward trend, my total earnings managed to reach $1.5 billion, which is a 12.7% increase from the previous year (2023). Regrettably, these earnings were still 21% lower than what I made in 2022, amounting to $1.9 billion.
In a post-Peak TV, post-strikes era, characterized by a more conservative and risk-adverse business climate in Hollywood, companies are scaling back their productions. According to the union’s annual report, while we expect to see an uptick in numbers for 2024 in future reports, this will be due in part to delayed reporting and an increase in the number of writers employed, which may bring us close to the level seen in 2023. However, it is evident that the number of jobs has decreased from peak years, primarily due to a reduction in the number of streaming projects, on top of previous declines in linear programming.
2024 wasn’t kind to me as a writer working on television and digital platforms, or those involved in news, promotions, informational, and interactive programming. The Writers Guild of America West (WGA West) reported that employment for us dropped by almost 11% between 2023 and 2024, and even more dramatically – a staggering 28.5% since 2022. To put it in perspective, the number of writers like me fell from 108 in 2022 to 94 in 2023, then to 80 in 2024. That’s a steep decline of nearly 26% over those years. It’s a tough time for storytellers like us right now.
2024 saw a 12.3% increase in writer earnings on television compared to the previous year, however, this figure dipped by 25% when contrasted with 2022. In the category of news and promotion, earnings decreased by 9.3% compared to 2023 and only slightly by 1.1% from 2022.
As a gamer, I noticed that the job market for writers in theatrical films held up pretty well in 2024 compared to previous years. Compared to 2023, there was only a slight decrease of 3%, but if we look back to 2022, it dropped by a more substantial 16.2%. Interestingly enough, the financial impact on films from two years ago wasn’t as severe as in television. In fact, earnings increased by 14.2% in 2024 over the previous year, which is quite impressive. However, it’s worth noting that the total earnings for 2024 were still 9.5% lower than what was made in 2022.
2024 saw a decrease of six percent in residuals compared to the previous year (2023). However, there was a five-year upward trend, with reuse payments increasing by 19.3% compared to 2019. Despite a 12.4% drop in television residuals compared to 2023, it’s worth noting that the decrease was smaller for feature films at just 6.4%.
In April, the WGA West gave its members a preliminary glance at their findings about a decrease in television writing jobs during the 2023-2024 season. The union reported a drop of 42 percent. They stated that writing careers have always been hard to break into and maintain, but this contraction has made it particularly tough. In an email, they expressed that everyone is affected by the choices made by the companies controlling this industry, as these companies have reduced spending on content due to the pressures from Wall Street.
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2025-06-28 03:24