Striking Actors, Writers Urge FTC to Probe Hollywood Mergers

Dozens of striking Hollywood writers and actors are going beyond the picket line to the next frontier of advocacy against consolidation in entertainment: the federal regulations docket.

Members of the Writers Guild of America West and the Screen Actors Guild—including those who have worked on “Hawaii Five-0,” “13 Reasons Why,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “The Big Bang Theory"—have filed over 100 comments on two ongoing Federal Trade Commission rulemaking efforts. The comments are part of a broader campaign encouraging the agency to probe decades of Hollywood industry consolidation.

Union members argue that a series of mergers and acquisitions have ...