Hollywood Studios and SAG-AFTRA in Talks to End 104-Day Actors’ Strike
LOS ANGELES – Hollywood’s major studios and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are engaged in discussions to put an end to the 104-day actors’ strike that has adversely affected film and TV production, dealing a severe blow to the entertainment industry.
Both parties resumed official talks on Tuesday, hoping to find common ground and resolve the ongoing labor dispute. The strike began in mid-July, following the lead of Hollywood writers who had walked out in May but managed to reach a resolution subsequently.
On Tuesday, the studios presented an offer that they considered more generous than their previous one. However, differences still persist, particularly concerning revenue-sharing in the streaming era, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In a message to members after Tuesday’s meeting, the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee stated, Today, the CEOs came back to the table. We are scheduled to continue talks with them tomorrow. We will continue to provide updates with you directly. Remember — don’t believe anything you read in the press unless it comes directly from us.
Negotiations between the actors’ union and the studio alliance hit a roadblock earlier this month over the issue of streaming pay. Initially, SAG-AFTRA sought 2% of all streaming revenue, but faced refusal from the studios. Subsequently, the guild proposed an annual payment of about 57 cents per streaming subscriber worldwide. However, the alliance rejected this proposal, asserting that it would create an unsustainable economic burden and cost the entertainment companies over $800 million annually. Some experts dispute this estimate, suggesting that the losses would be closer to $500 million.
The dispute over streaming compensation eventually led the studios to walk away from the bargaining table, stating that the gap between the two sides was too wide to bridge. SAG-AFTRA leaders accused the alliance of employing bullying tactics and emphasized that progress can only be made through open dialogue.
Following the last round of negotiations, several prominent SAG-AFTRA members, including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, and Emma Stone, approached union leaders to devise a strategy for ending the strike.
The ongoing discussions aim to find a satisfactory resolution that satisfies both the actors’ demands for fair compensation in the streaming era and the studios’ concerns about economic sustainability. The outcome of these talks will have significant implications not only for the striking actors but also for the broader entertainment industry.
As negotiations continue behind closed doors, stakeholders remain hopeful that a mutually beneficial agreement can be reached. The entertainment industry eagerly awaits a resolution to the actors’ strike, which has brought film and TV production to a standstill and disrupted the livelihoods of countless professionals.
