• Ars Technica, Monday, February 11, 2008 11:45 AM

Just when TV was turning into "a reality-show wasteland populated by big losers, idols, and angry chefs," the Writers Guild of America-West President Patric Verrone has recommended that his fellow striking writers "unanimously and unconditionally" approve new terms reached with the major production companies over a series of residuals-related issues, including online reproductions of their work.

Complete details of the proposed settlement were not made available, but the Guild will vote on whether to return to work after striking for four months on Tuesday. However, various reports claim that the writers have made big gains when it comes to use of their work on the Web. The Agence France Presse claims that "Under the proposed three-year contract, the writers share of movies and television shows sold online would be doubled," while revenues from content streamed over the Web would be $1,200 per year for one-hour Web casts for the first two years, followed by two percent of any revenues made from the third year forward. Sound like a good deal for the writers? Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter reports that the four-month strike has sucked $2 billion out of the Los Angeles economy.

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