US writers end strike

More than 92 per cent of members of the Writers Guild Of America voted to return to work following a new deal to give them a share of revenue from DVD sales and successful internet downloads.

A joint statement put out by studios and TV networks said: ‘This is a day of relief and optimism for everyone in the entertainment industry.’

CBS boss Les Moonves told trade paper Variety: ‘We will never know if they would have achieved these things without a strike. I think it's really important now that everybody come back together, and work together.

‘Let's not talk just once every three years but maybe every month. Especially on new media. The rules of our business are changing so rapidly, the ways people are using media and content are changing so rapidly. For our creative partners, relationships and communication are really important. The WGA realises it, and we realize it.’

Saturday Night Live will be one of the first shows to resume production, with a new episode scheduled to air on February 23.

Under the tentative new contract, writers would get a maximum flat fee of about $1,200 for programmes streamed online in the deal's first two years, then a two per cent slice of the distributor's gross in year three.

Around 10,500 writers had been involved in the strike, which has cost the TV and film industry an estimated $330million.

Published: 13 Feb 2008