Make Me Smart

How streaming upended the TV industry


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For viewers, streaming has ushered in an era of Peak TV with a seemingly endless amount of shows to binge. But, writers on strike say they’re not experiencing the same golden age when it comes to compensation and job stability. And, some streaming companies are struggling to hang on to subscribers in an ultra-competitive market.

This has us wondering: Has streaming broken TV?

On the show today, Kate Fortmueller, professor of entertainment and media studies at the University of Georgia, explains how streaming has changed the way film and TV writers make a living, why studios’ priorities have shifted in the streaming age, and what might be ahead for the industry. Plus, why screenwriters are asking for limits on the use of AI.

In the News Fix: Looking back at a previous writers strike might hint at the impact of the current strike. And, Home Depot says it expects a drop in annual sales for the first time in over a decade. We’ll get into what that might say about the housing market.

Later, a listener shares their experience ordering pizza from an AI bot. Plus, according to another listener, keeping things tidy with young kids is much harder than they had thought.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

  • “The 2023 Writers Strike, Explained” from GQ
      • “Why You Should Pay Attention to the Hollywood Writers’ Strike” from The Atlantic
          • “The long game between writers and AI” from Politico
              • “What Is a Mini Room? Writers Guild Contract Negotiation Focus on Them” from Variety
                  • “Writers striking worry AI could stymie diversity efforts in Hollywood” from Axios
                      • “Opinion | Hollywood writers strike risks a lot as TikTok and YouTube loom” from The Washington Post
                          • “Home Depot Projects First Annual Sales Decline Since 2009” from The Wall Street Journal
                              • “Home Remodeling Market Projected to Contract by 2024 from the Joint Center for Housing Studies
                              • It’s our May fundraiser. We need to raise $350K to stay on track for this fiscal year, and your gift now can help us reach our goalGive today.

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