EXCLUSIVE: A meeting between SAG-AFTRA and an expanded group of studio executives had just ended Saturday as the guild took a closer look at the AMPTP’s long-awaited response to its latest extended switch.
On this 114th day of the actors’ strike, top executives from Netflix, Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Amazon, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery and others spoke with SAG-AFTRA executives on Zoom for about an hour to discuss the new document.
“It’s a total package, forward-thinking and fair,” a studio insider told Deadline about what executives brought to the virtual table.
“The CEOs told them it was a historic package for the guild, including strong AI protection,” said an executive close to the negotiations. “SAG-AFTRA needs to contact us now,” another studio veteran said of the state of affairs.
We understand that Guild President Fran Drescher, Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and other members of the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee are currently discussing the AMPTP response and next steps. It is currently unclear whether this will lead to further talks today or Sunday. “We’ve all come a long way, so let’s take some time to reflect on our courage [the proposal] and the fine print is now the only responsible way to achieve it,” noted a wealthy guild member.
The studios’ package will include, among other things, the biggest salary increase in four decades and a 100 percent increase in performance pay bonuses for high-budget streaming series and films. It also includes so-called “full” AI protections. The latest move “goes well in the direction SAG wanted,” says an industry veteran.
“We didn’t just come to you, we came to you,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told SAG-AFTRA executives today about the studios’ latest offer.
However, it is difficult to determine how close the parties are to agreeing on a new three-year contract, according to sources from both parties. But it is perhaps telling that “cautious optimism” has once again become the preferred term of both parties.
On Saturday, a much larger group of studio executives than ever before joined the SAG-AFTRA negotiations and WGA consultations. Today at these talks and the final days of the successful WGA talks in September were the gang of four – NBCUni’s Donna Langley, Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav, Disney’s Bob Iger and Netflix’s Sarandos. Also reportedly in attendance were Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins, Disney co-chairman Dana Walden, Amazon Studios’ Alan Bergman, Mike Hopkins and Jen Salke, Sony Pictures chairman Tony Vinciquerra, and Apple’s Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg Studios present. told us
These figures show how much pressure studios are under to restart global television and film production. Hollywood has been shut down since the WGA first went on strike in early May and SAG-AFTRA followed in mid-July. According to the latest economic estimates, California suffered $6.5 billion in losses due to the strikes and shutdowns, with more than 45,000 jobs lost in the entertainment industry.
As far as the studio goes, the first half of the fall TV season has been a bit of a bust, aside from the unscripted shows and sports shows. On the big screen, the 2024 theatrical release schedule already has several gaps, with tentpole delays and more – more delays are likely to follow if the strike drags on much longer. The weekend box office total for all films was about $58 million, the third lowest frame since the beginning of the year. This grim gross is thanks to Legendary/Warner Bros. Dune: Part Two The schedule postponed to next year due to the actors’ strike.
Neither SAG-AFTRA nor AMPTP responded today to Deadline’s requests for comment on the state of the talks. If so, we’ll update this post.
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.
