The Directors Guild of America reached a tenetative three-year deal with the major Hollywood studios, raising hopes that a similar agreement can be made with striking film and television writers. The DGA contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers includes payment for when television shows and films are distributed through new media online downloads and streaming, and through mobile devices. The amounts, however, still fall short of what the Writers Guild of America asked before starting its walkout on Nov. 5, the Los Angeles Times reported. In a statement from the Encino-based Alliance, the heads of the major studios invited the Writers Guild to participate in “a series of informal discussions to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining.” The WGA and the studios last met on Dec. 7. The 11-week strike has cost the Los Angeles economy hundreds of millions of dollars, lost jobs and the cancellation of the television season. In its statement, the WGA said it will carefully look over the DGA/studios agreement and then discuss how its contract goals may be affected by the deal. In the meantime, the Guild urged the studios to return to the table to bargain in good faith. “We hope that the DGA’s tentative agreement will be a step forward in our effort to negotiate an agreement that is in the best interests of all writers,” the statement said.
