 The Writers Guild of America (WGA) -- the union representing professional American film and TV writers -- voted unanimously to go on strike, starting on Tuesday. The move followed unsuccessful negotiations for a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the largest Hollywood studios, networks, and streamers. More: - The major points of contention between WGA and AMPTP center around wage increases and requirements that companies staff TV shows with a certain number of writers for reliable blocks of time, rather than on a strictly as-needed basis.
- According to union negotiators, the two sides remain far apart in their demands and expectations; co-chair David Goodman suggested to THR that industry executives "weren't interested in making a deal."
- Some of the negotiations also center around the use of AI chatbots; WGA proposals would bar studios from using them to generate pitches or story ideas, along with writing actual scripts.
- The WGA is currently organizing picket lines in front of major studios and media companies across New York and Los Angeles.
- Late-night talk shows are the first victims of the strike; Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel have all suspended new episodes until further notice.
- WB Discovery plans to move forward with production on Season 2 of "House of the Dragon" in the UK during the strike; it's unclear how rewrites or script changes on set will be handled.
NEW YORK TIMES 
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More Writers: Though industry spending on TV writers saw a massive increase during the streaming era, this hasn't always been reflected in individual salaries, as the number of people writing on TV shows has also spiked dramatically. While the WGA surveyed around 3,000 professional TV writers in 2008, that number had jumped to nearly 5,000 in 2020. Insufficient Data: The WGA numbers only go up to 2021, so it remains unclear exactly how writer earnings have shifted over the last year, as the media and industry started rebounding from the pandemic and lockdown. This also means the data doesn't fully account for the recent spike in inflation, which means writer salaries don't go as far as they once did. Above-Scale Payment: The WGA data also doesn't fully reflect all forms of "above-scale pay," meaning bonuses and other kinds of residual payments beyond what the guild requires. The WGA did note that these forms of payment are also "under significant pressure" by the industry, and have likely declined in the recent past. VARIETY
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 Amazon introduced a collection of new free ad-supported streaming channels exclusively for its Fire TV devices. Unlike Amazon's previous Fire TV streaming content, these new channels will be continuously updated throughout the day. More: - The channels can be found in multiple areas around the Fire TV interface, including a dedicated row on the home screen.
- New options include a Travel category -- featuring content from Tastemade, Rick Steves, Condé Nast, and others -- along with channels from NHL, Xbox, TMZ, and the PGA.
TECHCRUNCH
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 During its presentation to potential sponsors at this week's NewFronts, Roku introduced a new line of ad products. The device maker and streamer introduced new spots for advertising on its home screen, within some streaming content, and even during screensavers. More: - Roku plans to use contextual AI to serve ads timed for relevant moments in Roku Channel films and TV shows.
- The software apparently scans the Roku catalog for "iconic plot moments" that somehow relate to a brand's message or "theme," then places ads alongside those moments in real time.
- For example, when Tim Gunn says "make it work" during an episode of "Project Runway," a clothing brand could choose that moment to serve an ad.
- The company also introduced a new slate of upcoming Roku Originals, including the reality series "Side Hustlers," about entrepreneurs turning their passions into new businesses, the cooking competition series "Celebrity Family Cook Off," and an unscripted comedy featuring singer-songwriter Charlie Puth.
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During its NewFronts presentation in New York, Peacock revealed that 2/3rds of its current subscribers have streamed a recent theatrical movie released by Universal on the service. According to the streamer, 95% of viewers expressed a favorable opinion of the ad experience during these films. More: - In general, recent Universal films stream on Peacock exclusively with pre-roll ads, and no commercial interruptions during the actual movie.
- Universal's licensing deal with HBO expired last year, allowing NBCU to pursue the new Peacock strategy.
- NBCU executives hosted the event while WGA members picketed outside the venue.
DEADLINE
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 Reality competition series "Dancing with the Stars" will move back to ABC after streaming for one season as a Disney+ exclusive. The show will become the first series ever to simulcast on both ABC and Disney+ in its upcoming 32nd season. More: - New Season 32 episodes will also be available to stream on Hulu the day after they debut on TV and Disney+.
- Last year, Disney renewed "Dancing with the Stars" through Season 32, while announcing the move over to Disney+.
- At the time, the show became the first live streaming reality series in the US.
- Disney+ has not revealed viewership numbers for "Dancing with the Stars" Season 31, leading to speculation that a significant dip was the reason behind the reversal in strategy.
- Alfonso Ribeiro has been promoted to emcee of the "Dancing" franchise ahead of Season 32, while former dancer Julianne Hough will re-join as a co-host; Tyra Banks is exiting the program this season.
DEADLINE
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 Netflix renewed the fantasy-drama series "Sweet Tooth" for a third and final season. Production on Season 3 has already wrapped in Auckland, New Zealand. More: - Season 2 of "Sweet Tooth" debuted on April 27.
- According to Netflix, the series was viewed for 48.3 million hours in its first four days on the platform.
- The show -- based on DC comic books by Jeff Lemire -- stars Christian Convery as a deer-boy exploring a post-apocalyptic landscape with a ragtag collective of other humans and human-animal hybrids.
DEADLINE
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 Nielsen adjusted its viewership report for this year's Super Bowl LVII, blaming "irregularities" and "issues with the out-of-home measurement." The new data indicates that 115.1 million people tuned in for the game on Fox, a significant jump from the 113 million figure Nielsen originally reported. More: - The new numbers make Super Bowl LVII the most-watched football game in history.
- The previous record-holder was 2015's Super Bowl XLIX, which drew 114.4 million viewers on NBC.
- According to Fox, this year's game was also the most-streamed Super Bowl in history, with 7 million fans tuning in online; that's an 18% jump over 2022.
DEADLINE
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 Nikki Glaser will return to host Season 3 of "FBoy Island." The reality dating competition series moves from its former home at HBO Max to CW this year. More: - CW is also developing a gender-swapped spinoff series, "FGirl Island," which will also be hosted by Glaser.
- Both shows go into production back-to-back this summer; the new "FBoy Island" episodes will debut in the fall.
- Showrunner Sam Dean and franchise creator Elan Gale have teased plans to turn the shows into a larger franchise; there are already a number of international spinoffs, including versions streaming in Sweden, Spain, Holland, Denmark, and the UK.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
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QUICK HITS - The company behind these surgical robots is planning to list on Nasdaq. Last day to fund your investment is on 5/10.*
- Fox opted not to renew its highest-rated scripted series, "9-1-1"; the show, which is produced by 20th Television, will move over to ABC for its upcoming seventh season.
- According to HBO, the sixth episode of "Succession's" final season once again set a new viewership record for the series, with 2.7 million people tuning in on Sunday night across all platforms.
- Hulu posted a trailer for the psychological thriller series "The Clearing," based on the novel by J.P. Pomare; it arrives on May 24.
- The satirical scripted comedy-thriller "Based on a True Story" hits Peacock in June; Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, and Tom Bateman star as an unlikely trio who find a way to personally profit from America's true crime obsession.
- Xilam -- the studio behind the Oscar-nominated feature "I Lost My Body" -- will handle the animation on Zack Snyder's Netflix series "Twilight of the Gods"; few details have been revealed about the series, which is apparently inspired by Norse mythology.
- The bilingual Latino-focused streaming platform mitúTV -- backed by actor John Leguizamo -- launched in the US with three original series.
- Host and producer Neil Patrick Harris' reality competition parody series "Drag Me To Dinner" -- in which pairs of drag queens square off to throw the most fabulous dinner party -- hits Hulu on May 31.
- Conan O'Brien launched a free ad-supported streaming channel exclusively for Samsung's TV Plus platform; "Conan O'Brien TV" -- the comedian's first FAST channel -- features clips and highlights from his various late-night shows.
- Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran will serve as guest judges on the May 7 edition of "American Idol," as series regulars Katy Perry and Lionel Richie will be in the UK for King Charles III's coronation.
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 |  | Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." |  | | Editor | Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade. | |
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