NYC Film and TV Employment Plummets as Studios Seek Cheaper Programming and Locations
Following strikes that shut down the industry, streaming platforms are pulling back on the relatively costly scripted series that New York studios rely on. By Greg David This article originally appeared in TheCity. Follow @x NEW YORK - New York City’s film and TV industry, which never completely recovered from the actors’ and writers’ strikes in 2023, is contracting again as streaming services cut back on the number of scripted shows they are commissioning. The prospects for any rebound soon are uncertain, given New York’s reliance on producing comedy and drama series at a time when reality TV and other programming is ascendant. Local employment in the industry has plunged from 42,800 in May to 30,800 in September, according to then latest monthly report from the state Labor Department. Since the industry employs only half of the workers directly, with the rest working for contractors such as caterers, the number of jobs lost is likely to be double that number — almost