SAG-AFTRA awaits studios’ response to latest AI proposals on day without formal talks; More “Negotiation with Companies” Friday – Update

UPDATE 9:17 p.m.: SAG-AFTRA’s TV/Theatre Negotiating Committee informed members tonight that they are awaiting a response from studios to the guild’s AI desk yesterday, as well as the “comprehensive counterproposal” from actors they submitted to the AMPTP five days ago.

As Deadline previously told you, today was a day of no talks, but sources say the studios are reviewing all the AI ​​information presented to them by the guilds.

“The Negotiating Committee was on standby today awaiting a response from the AMPTP on both the AI ​​window we presented yesterday and the comprehensive counter-proposal we submitted five days ago,” the Television/Cinema Negotiating Committee statement said today.

“Our team looks forward to continuing negotiations with the companies tomorrow,” the statement ended.

Tomorrow, Friday, is the 113th day of the actors’ strike. Sources on both sides would not be shocked if the talks continue this weekend. We’re told that studio executives will be available on Zoom or in person if their presence is requested.

We’re told the guild and studios are in good standing when it comes to streaming revenue sharing terms, but the details have been kept under wraps.

PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVES: All was quiet on the SAG-AFTRA negotiating front Thursday.

After a flurry of rumors in recent days that a deal between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP was all but done, today was “more of a waiting game,” according to an insider. After Wednesday’s back-and-forth over AI protections and more, studios have been pretty quiet on this 112th day of the actors’ strike.

Although the two parties were expected to speak today, the AMPTP did not respond to the revised AI proposal submitted by the guild on Wednesday. We also did not respond to the self-described “comprehensive counterargument” made by SAG-AFTRA on October 28, we understand. As a result, no formal talks took place today between the Guild’s chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, and AMPTP president Carol Lombardini.

Still, a week and a half into this latest round of renewed deliberations, sources on both sides remain optimistic and caution against reading too much into today’s non-talk. “If they came back to us in a few hours I’d be worried, I’d think they weren’t taking it.” [the proposals] seriously,” a guild source told Deadline. “That’s how it has to work if we want to reach a good and fair deal.”

There is no word on whether further talks are planned, although the AMPTP is expected to respond “soon”, said an industry veteran, who will set the timeline.

While nothing has been finalized, both sides appear to have reached “a comfortable point” when it comes to artists’ share of streaming revenue, according to a studio source, though details are still scarce.

As has been the practice since the parties resumed in-person and virtual discussions on Oct. 24, neither SAG-AFTRA nor AMPTP responded to Deadline’s requests for comment today. If so, we’ll update this post.

In the streets these days, the picket line stopped at Fox and remained suspended at Universal, but guild members joined Netflix, Sony, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon marched. Crabtree-Ireland arrived at Amazon’s Culver City headquarters in the morning to skip the line.

With the WGA strike in early May and SAG-AFTRA set to begin operations in mid-July, the labor disputes are estimated to have cost the California economy more than $6.5 billion and 45,000 entertainment jobs so far. working families who do not get a fixed salary for six months.

Paramount Global CFO Naveen Chopra said on the company’s earnings call today that the financial impact of the strikes on the company is “close to $60 million in strike-related shutdown costs.” These are additional costs incurred to maintain production capacity during the strike. These costs impacted both our TV media and filmed entertainment segments.”

During the same call, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish elaborated on the impact of the strikes on the company, adding, “As you’ve seen, we’ve recently made some changes to our film schedule, impacted by the ongoing SAG is. – AFTRA strike. And while Late Night is back on, the scripted side of television continues to be affected.

“Of course we all hope to be able to go back to work soon,” he says.

Although he is regularly informed, the Paramount Global boss was not directly involved in the negotiations last week.

The core CEOs of the Gang of Four – NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Disney’s Bob Iger – joined the talks last week, with Crabtree-Ireland and Lombardini taking the stand. It remains to be seen whether the CEOs will re-enter the conversation at some point in the future as they are briefed by their legal teams who are taking the lead. However, Langley, Zaslav, Sarandos and Iger will remain on standby for short-term zooms and meetings, it said.

Beset by fears, studios are desperate to ramp up feature and television production, especially for films that have been canceled mid-shoot, ie: Deadpool 3, Mission: Impossible 8 And Gladiator 2 amongst other things. While there are only a limited number of filming days left in the remaining two holiday-heavy months of 2023, work can be done to ensure some tentpoles hit theaters in 2024. Whatever the filmmakers have in hand, they are already in the editing room preparing it before the IATSE talks start next year.

One thing is certain, all parties tell us: the progress made by writers and stakeholders to do business will lay the groundwork for next year’s IATSE and Teamsters talks.

Both IATSE and Teamsters are regular and outspoken supporters of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA and value union solidarity. And from guilds to studios to streamers to individuals, everyone is concerned about what AI could mean for them and the industry.

Crabtree-Ireland told Deadline at New York Comic-Con last month that when it comes to AI, “the kind of guardrails that we want to build around this technology are not dependent on the evolution of the technology,” among SAG’s goals – AFTRA added: “The idea that an artist has the right to informed consent to use their image and likeness in the creation of a digital replica – every artist should have that right in any form of technology, including AI.” and AI tools developed for this purpose.”

“So I think that the guardrails that we put in place for fair compensation and informed consent are things that can evolve with the industry and the state of technology,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

As much as protecting top talent, the key for SAG-AFTRA is to ensure that extras and performers also have AI rights in contracts with studios at the end of the call sheet. A particular requirement to which the guild returns again and again is that the likeness of its members should not be reproduced an infinite number of times without appropriate compensation. Currently, the guild’s core idea is that AI be used and paid for on a project-by-project basis to prevent abuse and continue to serve as a viable profession for the vast majority of SAG-AFTRA’s 160,000 members .