Striking Hollywood writers lament residuals slide
msn.comBy Dawn ChmielewskiLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Writer Kyra Jones knew she would be taking a financial hit when she agreed to join the writers' room for the Hulu comedy series "Woke. "The first payment she received for her share of the show's digital rentals was a mere $4, before taxes, barely enough to buy a latte.
The streaming residual check amounted to one-third of the $12,000 Jones received in residuals for writing one episode of the ABC drama "Queens. "Jones said she knew it would be lower than broadcast networks paid in residuals. "But I didn’t know it would be that bad. "Residuals have emerged as a central issue in the strike by 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America, who are seeking better compensation and staffing commitments from Hollywood’s studios.
The writers argue that streaming services, which upended decades of television industry business practices, have significantly undercut their compensation.
They say they aim to recover lost income, in part, by proposing streaming payments that take into account the number of times an episode is viewed, and the number of subscribers outside the U.
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