THE
MARKET: The 2007 Writers Guild of America strike started on November 5, 2007. Use the interface below to buy shares related to the potential closing date of the strike. If you think that the strike will be resolved later than the date below, buying shares will extend the market prediction. If you think the strike will be resolved sooner than the date below, buying shares will move up the prediction to an earlier date.

THE LOWDOWN: The “Writers’ Strike of 2007” is in fact a strike by both the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), two labor unions that represent film, television, and radio writers working in the United States. The strike has primarily affected television – immediately halting late-night talk shows, ending the filming of such popular shows as “Desperate Housewives” and “The Office,” and most likely delaying the season premieres of shows like “24” and “Lost.” Over 12,000 writers are participating in the strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade organization that represents the interests of American film and television producers. The last such strike, in 1988, lasted 22 weeks.

THE PR: From a recent report by Reuters: “The Hollywood writers strike against major studios will cost at least $21 million a day in television production spending alone and idle 10,000 workers if it lasts much longer, experts said on Wednesday. The latest estimate, which accounts only for lost wages and other production costs in the Los Angeles area, came as the strike entered its 17th day amid hopes that renewed contract talks next week could end the labor dispute by Christmas.”