We're still at the top of 2025, so things could get better for writers in Hollywood, but right now, a new report makes the state of screenwriting and TV writing look pretty bleak. Last Friday, the WGA emailed its members a report detailing the number of jobs lost over the last few years. The news was heavy. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, the 2023-24 TV season saw 1,319 fewer writer jobs compared to the previous year (pre-strikes). Higher-level positions (Co-EP and up) accounted for 642 of these losses (-40%), while lower-level roles dropped by 378 (-46%) and mid-level positions decreased by 299 (-42%).In fact, the total number of television writing jobs last season (2023-24) plummeted to 1,819, a 42% drop from the 2022-23 season and significantly fewer than the 2,722 jobs during the COVID-affected 2019-20 season.So what's to blame? There are a lot of factors that contribute to drops like this one, including the decline in peak TV, the strikes, consolidation, and budget constraints at streamers. The WGA said in the report, “With an industry in transition — cable TV subscriptions and cable programming declining, a massive run-up and then pullback in streaming series as Wall Street demands quicker streaming platform profits — the number of TV jobs has declined.” In its email to members, the WGA stated, “Writing careers have always been difficult to access and sustain, but the contraction has made it especially challenging,” it continues, “We are all subject to the decisions of the...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday