The Writers Guild of America and studio chiefs have reached a tentative deal for a new three-year contract to end the Hollywood writer's strike.

In an e-mail sent overnight to its 10,500 members, the WGA notified them of the progress of the deal which could end the tardy three month strike. The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers said it will present the deal to writers in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday, followed by an official vote schedule for Sunday where the deal will be ratified.

We believe that continuing the strike now will not bring sufficient gains to outweigh the potential risks and that the time has come to accept this contract and settle the strike, the guild wrote in its letter.

Details of the tentative deal include:

- When users download content, writers will receive .36 percent of distributor's gross receipts for the first 100,000 downloads of a television program and the first 50,000 of a feature film. Thereafter, the pay will be increased to .7 percent and .65 percent, respectively.

- During the third year of the contract, writers are entitled to receive 2 percent of distributor's gross receipts for ad-supported streaming of television after a promotional window.

- When a network plans to integrate a storyline of drama episode, they will need to first consult the show runner to ask for permission.

If approved, thousands of striking writers are due to return to work on Monday, restoring order in the entertainment industry.

In an e-mail sent to Guild members, WGA West president Patric A. Verrone and WGA East president Michael Winship acknowledged that while the tentative deal ''is neither perfect nor perhaps all that we deserve,'' it ''establishes the principle that, 'When they get paid, we get paid.

WGA heads also said the strike has had an enormous personal toll on our members and countless others but that much has been achieved.

The most immediate impact of the approved deal would mean the Oscars, the biggest night in Hollywood, will go ahead in its normal format on Sunday February 24. If the strike continued, nominated actors were not expected to cross picket lines, and the show could not have used any of the scripted material normally written by union members.

Hollywood