After more than 100 days of the writers' strike, Hollywood studios have finally offered a new deal to the screenwriters on the picket lines. The deal, proposed by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), includes concessions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and access to viewer data.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, the AMPTP has agreed to credit humans rather than AI bots as the writers of screenplays. This move is seen as a victory for the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who have been working tirelessly to ensure that AI will not undercut their compensation and credit.

Additionally, the studios have offered to share data on the number of hours viewed on streaming services. This would allow writers to see the popularity of the programs they worked on, providing a level of transparency in viewership data. However, it is important to note that this transparency will not directly correlate with compensation for the writers.

The deal also addresses TV staff minimums, giving showrunners significant authority to set the size of the staff. However, the specifics of the discussions regarding budget size were kept confidential.

The WGA is currently evaluating the offer and will respond next week. This response is highly anticipated by industry leaders such as Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Disney boss Bob Iger, who have expressed their hopes for a swift end to the strike. Sarandos stated during an earnings call that they are committed to reaching an equitable agreement, while Iger shifted his stance from previously calling the strike disruptive to expressing his commitment to finding solutions.

If the WGA accepts the AMPTP's offer, it would align more with the demands made by the union earlier this year. The strike has kept over 11,500 writers on the picket lines since May 2, and in July, more than 160,000 Hollywood workers represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined the strike. However, if a new deal is reached soon, the strike could end earlier than expected.

Previously, an executive close to AMPTP leadership had mentioned that the studios would allow the strike to drag on until union members faced financial difficulties. However, experts estimate that by October, most writers will be running out of money after five months without work.

The strike initially began due to an impasse over compensation, minimum staffing of writers' rooms, and residual payments in the streaming era. The financial losses for the industry have reached an estimated $3 billion, significantly impacting California's economy.

The AMPTP's counterproposal addresses these major sticking points and offers concessions related to AI, viewer data access, and residual payments. The proposal ensures that humans will not be replaced by AI in screenplay production, which has been a major concern for the WGA. Additionally, the proposal offers a more than 20% increase in residual payments when shows re-air on new networks, providing some financial relief to the writers.

Furthermore, the preservation of writers' rooms, which have become smaller in the streaming era, is also addressed in the proposal. It includes salary increases and a minimum duration of work for writers in "mini-rooms."

The WGA is currently evaluating the proposal, and the studios have not yet responded to requests for comment. The outcome of this evaluation and subsequent negotiations will determine the future of the strike and the fate of the thousands of writers and other industry professionals involved.