Ending a 118-day strike that brought TV and film production to a halt, Hollywood studios and a union representing approximately 160,000 actors have reached a tentative agreement. The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) TV/Theatrical Committee approved the tentative agreement unanimously, according to a union statement. The strike will formally end at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, enabling the resumption of scripted TV shows and film production, a significant boost for the industry that had been reeling from the effects of the twin strikes by writers and actors.
Contract negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers had broken down in mid-July, leading to the actor strike. This came on the heels of the Writers Guild of America strike in May, marking the first time in over four decades that both unions were striking concurrently. The resulting disruption significantly impacted film and TV production, forcing studios to delay movie releases and networks to use reruns, reality TV, and game shows to account for the deficit of new scripted content.
Key issues of contention included higher minimum pay, a share of revenue from streaming services, and guarantees against replacement by artificial intelligence tools. The actors’ demands covered a 2% share of the sales from streaming services, such as Netflix, generated by their programs and consent every time their image or voice is digitally reproduced through artificial intelligence. Talks resumed on October 24, with the studios agreeing to an increase in the minimum pay for actors by 7% in the first year. Involved in the negotiations were top executives from several prominent Hollywood entities, including Netflix, Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., and NBCUniversal.
More details of the agreement will be released following the review of the deal by the national board of SAG-AFTRA, scheduled for November 10. The sham has been brought down on strike-induced delays, and Hollywood can once again resume doing what it does best – creating troupes of make-believe at scale.
For more information on Hollywood strike history and related issues, you can read more here.
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