The negotiations planned today between SAG-AFTRA and the studios ended up not happening – and that’s fine with everyone.
“This is a step in the right direction and the negotiating committee is taking the time to do a thorough review,” a guild source involved in the talks told Deadline.
Although the SAG said last night that they “plan to continue their discussions tomorrow,” that changed this morning when SAG-AFTRA leadership contacted the AMPTP about a brief change in their plans. Guild leaders said they wanted to “take the time to review the latest proposals presented yesterday by CEO Gang of Four and AMPTP President Carol Lombardini to Guild Boss Fran Drescher, Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and their team,” according to an insider. .
The studio bosses, who were initially somewhat surprised, apparently appreciated the consideration and responded positively to the short break. “There is no drama here,” a person involved in the talks told Deadline this afternoon. “Don’t interpret it for more than it is. It’s time to go over it again, look at the numbers and consider the counter,” said another well-informed source. “It happens all the time in negotiations like this. It shows that people are serious, and that’s a good thing.”
The CEOs on Tuesday made an offer for a second round of renewed deliberations in the now 104-day strike that they hoped would break the impasse in which both sides have found themselves over the guild’s demand for revenue sharing. Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, as well as Lombardini, focused on higher bonuses based on the success of streaming shows and movies and an increase in minimum rates and saw their proposal as a way. to do so to seal a new world. Three year contract with the guild.
SAG-AFTRA negotiators did not greet the new proposals as warmly as the studio overlords had expected, and more than one insider said they “flopped” in the room.
At the same time, others warn that this is part of the process and nature of adult negotiations
As it stands, the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee and the AMPTP, which again includes Iger, Sarandos, Langley and Zaslav, will meet Thursday at the guild’s Wilshire Blvd office.
After the difficult discussions at the negotiating table during final talks that began on October 2nd, and some public comments each side made about each other after the studios abruptly called off talks on October 11th, there were some bare egos in the mix on Tuesday Space . In this context, according to studio sources, the talks were considered “not great” and “controversial”, making many cynical that the talks could fail again. An insider said of the heat in the room: It’s the first time in decades they’ve seen the composed Iger “unravel.” Another said: “It’s like both sides are speaking two completely different languages.”
While the negotiations were difficult at points, there were also some lighthearted moments, with Drescher in particular making a very welcome point by increasing the focus of the talks and removing some of the sources of tension on both sides. “Everybody wants to reach an agreement, that’s clear,” noted one negotiator. “No one believes that we can just clap our hands and do it, it takes work and time.”
During the previous round of renewed talks earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA revised its idea of higher compensation for cases based on the success of streaming shows and movies from 2% of revenue to 1% and then proposed a payout percentage based on that. Subscribers before. On Oct. 12, Sarandos called the latest Guild plan, which amounted to about 57 cents per subscriber, a “tax” on subscribers and declared that it was “a bridge too far.”
Still, in the words of the gushing co-CEO, it wasn’t so far that Iger didn’t call Crabtree-Ireland on Oct. 21, the 100th.e Day of the strike by the guild, which has 160,000 members, and calls for talks to resume as soon as possible.
The not-so-secret fear on both sides is that renewed negotiations, and if no deal is reached in the coming weeks, will further damage California’s already faltering economy, which has suffered $6.5 billion in losses. Including the backlash from the WGA strike, this economic blow resulted in the loss of 45,000 manufacturing jobs as production halted. “If an agreement is not reached in the near future, it will mean a complete destruction of the new 2024 TV season and all films from the first and second quarters will be postponed to the second half of the year,” said an industry source said. Post-pandemic coffers have benefited from a steady flow of product, and any gaps in the schedule are sure to cause droughts for exhibitors already struggling with debt. Fall box office receipts are currently down about $440 million compared to the same period in 2019, as actors exit films and major motion pictures challenger And Dune: Part Two leave the schedule.
“We all know what’s at stake,” a guild source said. “Everybody does it.”
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
