Lights, Camera, Strike! The impact of WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes on Fall TV and Advertisers
Author: Kelly Dulin and Margaret Firalio
On September 24—day 146 of their labor dispute—the Writers Guild of America reached a tentative deal, and its members will vote on whether to accept in the coming days. It’s anticipated that the vote will pass given much of what the writers had been demanding (increased compensation for streaming content, staffing minimums for television shows, and guarantees surrounding Artificial Intelligence technologies not encroaching on compensation and credits) has been met in the agreement. However, with actors in the SAG-AFTRA union still on strike, and no talks between the union and the studios scheduled, the impact on television programs and their schedules will continue. Actors are in search of 2% of streaming shows’ revenue and have similar concerns around AI that WGA members did. Here is a look on what shows are impacted by the anticipated WGA strike resolution and the ongoing strike by SAG-AFTRA:
TALK SHOWS. Late night talk shows were immediately impacted when the WGA strike began, moving to reruns since the writers for the shows are all union members, and the shows are produced on tight schedules to remain topical. The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show were all impacted, along with Saturday Night Live. These shows, as well as Daytime talk shows are now expected to return to air, but without actors for guests.
Network Primetime. Most major network shows were already wrapped and aired season finales when the strikes started, but the strikes have eaten into the production time for their fall return. It’s expected that the writers will return to their desks to pen new episodes of dramas and comedies, but without actors, filming cannot commence. Like the WGA strike in 2007, unscripted reality shows are being brought in to fill programming holes, since the producers of reality shows are not considered writers or part of the union. In the new fall schedule, there’s an 80% increase year-over-year in unscripted programming on the five broadcast networks. Shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race are being extended from 60 to 90 minutes.
Networks have also returned streaming content back on linear tv. Dancing with the Stars, which aired for many seasons on ABC, moved to Disney+ for season 31 in 2022. It will now return to the network for season 32. Yellowstone just made its broadcast debut on CBS (starting with season 1) after airing for 5 seasons on Paramount; CBS has also moved Seal Team and FBI True from Paramount to broadcast.
Daytime Soap Operas Most soaps are filmed months in advance, giving the category a stockpile of new episodes. Writers and producers who aren’t in the union have been able to produce new episodes based on plot sketches. Daytime actors are members of SAG-AFTRA, but work under a different contract called Netcode, and were asked to work during the strike to fulfill their contractual obligations, so the soap opera genre has not been impacted by the two strikes.
Game Shows – The strikes have produced a mixed bag in this category. Several Jeopardy writers were part of the picket lines, as well as co-host Mayim Bialik. However, because questions were written prior to the strike’s beginning, season 40 (at least the start of it) has not be impacted. Wheel of Fortune’s writers are not part of the WGA and the show has not been impacted by the strike. Price is Right at Night and Let’s Make a Deal Primetime will be part of Friday’s primetime rotation on CBS, replacing previously slotted S.W.A.T. Fox Network’s You Bet Your Life has halted production during the strike, as has NBC’s Password. Once the WGA agreement is signed by all parties, since there is very little reliance on union actors, it’s expected that production will resume on almost all game shows.
Sports and Animation. Neither of these categories have been shut down by the strike. Live sports are benefitting from increases in ratings and share of dollars due to less competition in counter programming. The NBA playoffs experienced its highest viewership since 2012, and NHL playoffs saw its largest audience in four years.
News. Not impacted by the strike
Streaming. Scripted shows have halted production just as they have in linear television, but many providers such as Hulu and Amazon Prime tend to bank more shows than network does, so it’s been theorized that it will take longer to feel the impact of the strike. Most streaming shows that have scripted content will see a return for the writers. However, we can expect delays in production due to the ongoing actors strike, much like the situation in broadcast.
What does this mean for advertisers and agencies?
According to a recent study by the firm Advertising Perceptions, most advertisers don’t see the strike considerably affecting their spending allocations:
Most of the advertisers polled (both agencies and marketers) felt there is enough content between sports, unscripted, and Video on Demand to get by for now.
Advertisers that had dedicated budgets to affected programming said they plan to move dollars elsewhere within the same media companies’ portfolios.
17 of 20 advertisers polled said that they were unlikely to hold back future spending on tv or streaming because of the strike.
We do know that the linear upfront was soft, down 5% vs. last year. For brands that plan to shift inventory, it’s important that target demos are aligned with the right content. Whether it’s reality tv, news, sports, on connected tv or other channels, it’s important to be strategic about your media adjustments.
In 4Q, buyers will also need to keep abreast of program schedules and be in constant communication with reps to make sure they’re staying on top of ongoing changes. As important as it is to know the content in which ads are running in, it’s also critical to know the counterprogramming and if that programming has changed or is in reruns. This will help accurately project ratings/impressions, as well as response for DTC clients.
“Stay tuned” for more updates. We’re on top of this ever-changing situation.