The two strikes had a crippling effect on Hollywood’s movie and television production.
As well as creating financial hardship for many strikers and other entertainment industry workers,they are estimated to have cost the Southern Californian economy $US6.5 billion ($10.1 billion).
While specifics are yet to be revealed,the proposed new actors’ contract would boost minimum pay,residual payments for shows streamed online and healthcare funding. It is also believed to include new rules stopping studios from using artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of actors without payment or approval.
If the proposed contract is ratified by union members,the $US134 billion American movie and television business will swing back into action.
“Today’s tentative agreement represents a new paradigm,” the AMPTP said in a statement. “It gives SAG-AFTRA the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union,including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last 40 years;a brand new residual for streaming programs;extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence;and sizable contract increases on items across the board.
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“The AMPTP is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement and looks forward to the industry resuming the work of telling great stories.”
While there was a historic level of solidarity for the union’s push for a better contract under Drescher,the heads of such major entertainment companies as Disney,Netflix,NBCUniversal and Warner Bros Discovery wanted to salvage both the television season and the pipeline of movies for cinemas.
The year’s box office has already been dampened by the bumping of some major releases,includingDune:Part Two and,in Australia,The Dry sequelForce of Nature,into next year.
Major sticking points in the negotiations between the union and entertainment companies were rules for the use of AI and providing actors with additional compensation for streaming.
“I’m relieved,” Kevin Zegers,an actor from the American ABC showThe Rookie:Feds,toldThe New York Times after the union’s announcement. “If it didn’t end today,there would have been riots.”
His comments reflect the anger among striking actors that encouraged union leaders to hold out for a better deal than entertainment companies were prepared to offer in the first 100 days of the strike.
Two weeks ago,an open letter reportedly signed by thousands of actors including Julia Louis-Dreyfus,Jon Hamm,Mark Ruffalo,Cynthia Nixon,Leslie Odom Jr and Demi Moore,said they would rather stay on strike than accept a bad deal. “We have not come all this way to cave now,” it said.
While the studios face significant business challenges,including the rapid decline of cable television and continuing streaming losses,their negotiators have had to give up more ground than seemed likely early in the strike to get production rolling again.