Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav is admitting that striking writers were correct in their demands for sweeping changes in how creatives are compensated in Hollywood. Zaslav says that he has no regrets about the deal that was struck between studios and the Writers Guild of America for a new three-year contract on September 24th.
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00:00 Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav is admitting that striking writers were correct
00:04 in their demands for sweeping changes and how creatives are compensated in Hollywood.
00:09 Zaslav says that he has no regrets about the deal that was struck between studios and the
00:13 Writers Guild of America for a new three-year contract on September 24.
00:18 He told The New York Times in a lengthy new profile, "They are right about almost everything.
00:22 So what if we overpay?
00:24 I've never regretted overpaying for great talent or a great asset."
00:27 In the deal, writers received an increase in pay, minimum show staffing requirements,
00:32 and protections against AI, among other gains.
00:35 However, studios resisted the writers' demands for months, resulting in a strike that lasted
00:39 a brutal 148 days and brought the industry to a near halt.
00:44 In July, Disney chief Bob Iger called the writers' proposed changes in compensation "unrealistic."
00:49 Zaslav's suggestion that writers might now be overpaid will likely strike some detractors
00:54 as ironic, given that the executive famously received $246 million in compensation in 2021.
01:01 For much more on this story and all the latest news, go to THR.com.
01:06 This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
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