IT’S DONE: WRITERS AND PRODUCERS AGREE ON A DEAL

There’s a new deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Association of Motion Picture and TV Producers (AMPTP). Details of the agreement have not been disclosed — that’s expected to occur late today — but it’s said to be patterned after the AMPTA’S contract with the Directors Guild of America (DGA) which calls for moderate increases in wages and residuals and a new formula for payments for work in new media, particularly subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) — principally Netflix and Amazon Prime — and basic cable. The formula, according to some reports, is hinged to the budgets and lengths of the programs. In any case, the agreement must be OK’d by members of the Writers Guild of America East and the Writers Guild of America West. No significant opposition is expected.