Streaming Residuals Drop for First Time as Secondary Market Sputters, Per WGA Report

By Gene Maddaus

Gene Maddaus

Senior Media Writer

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Writers received less in streaming residuals in 2025 than they did the year before, amid a downturn in the once-robust streaming market for old movies and TV shows.

Writers took in $330.7 million in streaming residuals last year, down from $346.6 million in 2024, marking the first ever nominal decline, according to a report issued in July by the Writers Guild of America.

Residuals in other categories — network reruns, basic cable reruns, foreign TV, home video, etc. — have been on a downward slide since streaming took hold more than a decade ago. But until recently, streaming residuals — particularly from shows and movies licensed to streaming platforms — had been rising quickly to make up the difference.

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