Late Sunday evening, the Writers\u2019 Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) announced they had reached a tentative agreement after 146 days on strike. While marketers and agency execs don\u2019t expect budgets to move back to the entertainment industry yet this year given this development, all eyes now pivot to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.<\/p>\n
The timeline for a return to business as usual \u2014 whatever that may mean now \u2014 is yet to be determined. The WGA strike of 2007\/2008 lasted for 99 days before a deal with the AMPTP but actors were not also on strike at that time. Until the tentative agreement becomes a deal that is then ratified by its members, the WGA has suspended picketing for its own purposes and instead encouraged members to support the actors on strike by joining SAG-AFTRA\u2019s pickets. SAG-AFTRA, meanwhile, has congratulated the WGA on its deal and urged the AMPTP to return to the bargaining table. That strike is expected to still impact programming, such as the talk shows as they may struggle to book guests who are still on strike, though Stacey Stewart, U.S. chief marketplace officer, UM, said she\u2019s \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d both negotiations will be resolved soon.<\/p>\n