Striking screenwriters agree to talks

Hollywood film and TV writers who have been on strike for nearly two weeks will return to contract talks on November 26, their union and producers said today.

In a joint statement, the Writers Guild of America, West, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said both sides had agreed to return to formal negotiations.

The statement said no other details would be released.

The writers went on strike on November 5. At the core of the contract dispute is compensation for shows offered on the internet – a medium that appeals to a number of tech-savvy, young assistants who aspire to create their own online programming and want a piece of the profits.

The producers group has said it is offering writers a share of licensing fees paid by websites to stream shows.

But the union rejected the offer, saying the payments would not begin until six weeks after a show went online and viewer interest was nearly exhausted.

Writers also want a cut of revenue from non-skippable ads contained in many shows streamed free online. The alliance refused to budge on that demand.