SAG-AFTRA Talks: CEOs Offer Improved Deal Terms But Still No Cut of Streaming Revenue
25.10.2023 - 20:41
/ variety.com
Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The CEOs of four major entertainment companies offered SAG-AFTRA on Tuesday an improved bonus for the most-watched streaming shows, as well as higher increases in minimum rates. But the studios are still not offering a cut of total streaming revenue, which the actors union has made the centerpiece of its demands to end its 104-day strike. SAG-AFTRA is expected to deliver its response to the studios’ latest proposal today.
Though the two sides continue to negotiate, there remains frustration on both sides that more progress has not been made. The four CEOs — Bob Iger of Disney, Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery — came to SAG-AFTRA’s mid-city headquarters on Tuesday for the sixth time this month, and the first time since talks broke down on Oct.
11. They are expected back at the table Wednesday. In the Tuesday session, the CEOs sought to impress on SAG-AFTRA leadership the economic stakes as the stalemate drags on.
According to one source, the CEOs suggested that certain TV shows would have to be canceled if the strike goes on much longer. Some on the union side interpreted that as a threat, though on the studio side it was seen as laying out the basic realities of the broadcast production schedule. The union has argued that actors are unable to make a sustainable living in the streaming ecosystem, and that a root-and-branch transformation of the compensation structure is required.
The website celebfans.org is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.