Paramount Global has laid off about 800 employees in the U.S., impacting various divisions including Paramount TV Studios and Nickelodeon. The layoffs come as Paramount TV Studios consolidates its programming operations, combining development and current under Head of Development Jana Helman. Notable departures include senior executives at Paramount TV Studios and CBS Studios, with about 3% of Paramount's global head count affected. The move reflects the company's efforts to navigate the shift from linear TV to streaming amidst advertising challenges.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has ratified a new contract with Hollywood and television studios, with 99% of members voting in favor. The contract, which will be in effect until May 2026, includes increased minimum pay for writers, improved health fund contributions, and better compensation for streaming projects. The deal also addresses concerns about AI-generated content and requires streaming services to be more transparent about program streaming hours. The ratification marks the end of one of the longest strikes in the WGA's history, while the ongoing strike by SAG-AFTRA actors continues.
Contract negotiations between Hollywood's writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are set to resume next week in an effort to end the ongoing writers strike, which has been ongoing for 4 1/2 months. The strike is centered around issues such as pay, job security, and the regulation of artificial intelligence. A previous attempt to restart talks failed, but both sides are now committed to reaching a fair deal. No talks have been planned yet to settle the actors strike.
Major TV studios, including Warner Bros. Television, Universal Studio Group, CBS Studios, and Disney Television Studios, have started suspending overall deals with writer/producers due to the ongoing writers strike. The studios have informed the talent that their compensation under their term deals has been suspended, effective May 2. While some studios are continuing payments to producers who have series in production, others are offering weekly rates to writers/producers under suspended overall deals to do producing services. The suspension of overall deals is considered standard practice during a strike, but the potential termination of deals is what many are fearing.
A coalition of top movie and TV studios, including Universal, Disney, and Netflix, have secured a $30 million judgment against Dwayne Johnson, the operator of two illegal streaming sites, AllAccessTV and Quality Restreams. The settlement includes an injunction barring Johnson from continuing to operate any service that allows users to pirate movies. The piracy was described as "massive," with Johnson allegedly generating $3 million in annual revenue from AATV. This comes as studios and production companies are increasingly taking entities to court for copyright violations stemming from the illegal streaming of content.
