Average earnings for WGAW writers 2016-2021

The most recently available data shows that the average annual earnings of WGAW TV and digital platform writers decreased between 2019 and 2021 to about 228.5 thousand U.S. dollars. One of the main points in the WGA labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is the Minimum Basic Agreement which expired in May 2023 and did not apply to streaming writers. As a result, those writers were paid less than traditional TV broadcast writers, according to the WGA.