The Oscars are likely to go ahead now the deal has been ratified

US film and television writers have voted to end a three-month strike and return to work.
The back-to-work order was approved by 92.5% of the 3,775 Writers Guild of America (WGA) members, after a deal was struck by union leaders at the weekend.

Industrial action was sparked by a dispute over additional pay for work used on DVD or over the internet. The strike has crippled TV and film production and led to the cancellation of the Golden Globe awards ceremony.

Union leaders agreed a deal on Sunday that gives writers an increased share of the profits from TV shows and films offered over the internet and other new media.

The strike, which lasted 14 weeks, was the most damaging period of industrial action to hit Hollywood in 20 years. Some 10,500 writers stopped work on 5 November, a few days after their old contract with studios ended.

If writers return to work on Wednesday, the thousands of production staff who were put of out of work as scripts dried up will take weeks to mobilise while new material is prepared.

The strike is said to have cost Los Angeles' film and TV industry at least $650m (£330m) in lost wages, with the wider economy losing over $1bn (£508m).

Studio executives say it will take about two months for new TV programmes to emerge.

Studios will have to decide which of the 65 affected series will come back, with hits House, CSI, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives likely to get priority.

Films have been less severely affected because they have longer production times.

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