Tag: Golden age for TV writing $$$

Here’s Why More Writers are Turning to TV than Film Writing

Short answer: TV writing employs more people and pays better. But you probably want specifics, so:

Once upon a time, the term "golden age" referred to quality. But in today's economy, who's got time to worry about that?
Once upon a time, the term “golden age” referred to quality. But in today’s economy, who’s got time to worry about that?

WGA West Annual Report Shows “Golden Age of TV” Continues for Writers
by Jonathan Handel

The WGA West’s latest annual report, released Tuesday, provides continued good news for television writers, along with a smidgen of hope for feature writers as well — but an analysis by The Hollywood Reporter of almost a quarter-century’s worth of WGAW data underscores just how completely the 1990s surge of independent cinema has transformed into a new golden age of television

From 1992 through 2006, aggregate TV and theatrical earnings for the WGAW’s members were roughly equal. That changed after the 2007-08 WGA strike, and THR’s review shows that the two industries have trod very different paths since then. Aggregate TV earnings have nearly doubled since the walkout, rising from $462.5 million in 2008 to a THR-estimated $859 million last year. Meanwhile, theatrical earnings, which spiked to $526.6 million in 2007 as studios stockpiled in advance of the strike and slumped to $375.1 the year after, trended slowly down for several years and have gradually increased since 2012 — but at $387.4 million (THR est.) last year, they have never fully recovered. read article