Writers Guild, AMPTP meeting for the third day in a row; Studio CEOs meet Friday – Deadline

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The Writers’ Guild and AMPTP met on Thursday for the third time this week to try to hammer out a deal to end an ongoing writers’ strike. It’s still uncertain if they’ll meet again on Friday, but Deadline confirmed that the studios’ CEOs plan to meet on Friday to discuss the current situation.

Deadline understands that virtual meetings of studio CEOs have been near-regular, with leaders of some of the biggest entertainment companies discussing potential paths to a deal with the Writers Guild.

The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resumed last Friday for the first time since the strike began on May 2 and stalled until Tuesday after the two companies filed a counterproposal to the union’s proposals. Tuesday’s meeting reportedly ended with “mixed results,” and since then, they’ve been going back and forth to see if they can reach a tentative agreement.

As of yesterday, there has been no tangible progress in closing the gap on outstanding issues, sources tell Deadline.

Key strike issues include pay increases, viewership-based broadcast leftovers, “keeping writers’ room” through minimum staffing and guaranteed days of employment, and a firewall against the use of AI for scriptwriting.