Hollywood's writers union says it has reached a preliminary labour agreement with the industry's major studios in a deal to end one of two strikes that have halted most film and television production for nearly five months. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced the deal on Sunday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group that represents studios, streaming services and producers in negotiations. The three-year contract agreement – agreed to after five marathon days of renewed talks by negotiators WGA and the AMPTP – must still be approved by the guild's board and members before the strike can be declared officially over. The WGA, which represents 11,500 film and television writers, described the deal as "exceptional" with "meaningful gains and protections for writers". "This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who joined us on the picket lines for over 146 days," the negotiating committee said in a statement.