Writers Strike Dominates Chatter At LA Screenings As Buyers Remain Watchful Of “Fluid” Situation
30.05.2023 - 15:35
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: International buyers will remain cautious over how the writers’ strike impacts program availability, as the ongoing industrial action dominated chatter at the LA Screenings.
A week of international sales showcases brought hundreds of buyers to LA as the likes of Paramount, Disney, Sony, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox screened line and TV line-ups against a backdrop of picket lines at the studio gates.
Before the event, a number of international buyers told us a key issues in negotiations would be what clarity they could get on new shows entering production as the writers’ strike rumbles on — we’re now at nearly a month since it began. The studios acknowledge it’s a “fluid” situation and the topic was top of mind for many on the ground last week.
“The writers’ strike is a factor as some of the shows we saw won’t be able to go into production for a while,” said one European buyer today.
Dan Cohen, Chief Content Licensing Officer at Paramount and President of Republic Pictures, addressed the impact of industrial action directly with buyers last week.
“Some of the programing we’re talking about today is impacted, but a lot of it has completed production,” he said at a Paramount screening. “This remains a fluid situation, but it is our hope that the situation will be resolved swiftly.”
However, optimism remains high among both sides and there’s renewed excitement over the power of licensing. Our European source said it wad “great that everyone was screening,” referencing Fox Entertainment Global’s Screenings debut and the return of Disney for the first time since before the pandemic. They added it was “a solid year, but there was no single breakout hit.”
We hear buyers were especially interested by