I haven't kept up with industry trends in years (and my knowledge was fairly general even then), but I think the spec market is greatly affected by trends in streaming television and movies. The television shows that I watch regularly (British and Scandinavian mysteries) are A+--better in every aspect than standard TV of the past. As prodcos jockey for dominance in the streaming market, it's natural for them to ignore specs as a source of material. I would guess that they still use a few gatekeepers (readers, agents, recommendations from professionals), and these gatekeepers are probably aware of the level of excellence necessary. I think the Skydance announcement is encouraging in its limited way. An A+ spec by an unsold writer should still have a fighting chance, even in this market. Writers would do well to watch streaming shows not for entertainment but for models (and The Protagonist's Journey is a great place to find discussions of how storytelling works in TV series).