WGA West blasts Warner Bros. Discovery before potential writers strike; WBD says it is committed to ‘facilitating greater inclusion of underrepresented groups’

UPDATED with Warner Bros Discovery Statement: As it prepares to negotiate a new film and television deal — and a possible writers’ strike in May — the WGA is dealing another blow to West Warner Bros. Discovery for going back on its promise that the merger that would eventually create the giant media conglomerate last year would bring more opportunities for content creators.

“WarnerMedia and Discovery have pledged that their merger will allow the new company to invest in more original content and create more opportunities for underrepresented storytellers,” the guild said in a statement Monday. “Less than a year after the merger closed, Warner Bros. Discovery has laid off hundreds of employees and canceled, retired or written off $2 billion worth of content, highlighting the foreseeable downside of the consolidation.”

“Warner-Discovery is the latest cataclysmic merger to highlight the downsides of consolidation, and especially the threat to diversity, as gatekeepers band together to increase their power,” Laura Blum-Smith, the Guild’s director of research and public policy explained. said. “Almost immediately after the closing, Warner Bros. discovered the empty promises he made about the benefits of the merger. As a result, writers – including many women and people of color – have lost opportunities and future income, while consumers are left with less variety and choice in content.”

Warner Bros. Discovery responded later Monday, not commenting on the merger but saying it was “committed to enabling greater inclusion of underrepresented groups in greater numbers both on and off camera.”

It added, “While there is still more work to be done, we are proud that so many of our diverse creative partners have recently received Emmys, Golden Globes, GLAAD and NAACP awards and nominations. And earlier this month, the WGA itself recognized given to our programs and diverse writing teams with 14 Writers Guild Award nominations for 12 original titles. We will continue to nurture diverse writing talent and create inclusion across the industry. Our global pipeline programs are focused on providing pathways for underrepresented creatives in a variety of categories including writing, music supervision, production, show operations and animation – all with the common goal of ensuring that more marginalized creatives have opportunities to learn and create a space for themselves.Make money at Warner Bros. Discovery and the industry in general.”

The Guild’s latest charge against Warner Bros Discovery comes today in the form of a follow-up to their 2021 report, Broken Promises: Media Mega Mergers and the Case for Antitrust Reform, which highlighted what the Guild calls a “failed” US antitrust law mentioned. the politics mentioned in a review of five megamergers in the media and telecommunications industry.

Warner Bros. Discovery is one of the major companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which will negotiate a new film and television agreement with the WGA later this year. No dates have yet been set for these calls. The guild’s current contract expires on May 1, and while a strike is by no means certain, it is highly regarded by many industry observers and guild members.