By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The entertainment and licensing industries breathed a collective sigh of relief as the longest actors strike in history came to an end at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 9.
SAG-AFTRA negotiators have approved a tentative agreement with film and TV studios, and on Wednesday called an end to the 118 day strike.
The union’s negotiating committee approved the deal in a unanimous vote, with member Ben Whitehair calling it a “massive win” for American actors. “It’s incredibly emotional,” he said. “We’ve made history.”
The strike has had a dramatic impact on the entire industry, throwing thousands of people out of work, and delaying dozens of films and TV series that were already in production.
It’s also a major drag on the licensing industry, as entertainment and character deals are the largest single source of revenue for the sector, estimated in this year’s Licensing International survey at $138 billion annually, out of total revenues of $305 billion. Some films were actually close to release when the strike abruptly shut down production, including the much anticipated sequel Beetlejuice 2, which was reportedly in its last day of filming.
However, while business may have suffered in the short term, the SAG-AFTRA union says the labor dispute has ironed out problems in the industry that would have caused much greater problems down the road, had they not been addressed.
One of the most serious involved changes to the way actors were being paid for their work in the era of streaming, which followed a different model and resulted in many actors and screenwriters being paid very little, even if their production ended up being a streaming hit. SAG-AFTRA said the payment model was so bad it threatened the very viability of acting as a profession.
Another was the advent of artificial intelligence combined with computer graphic images (CGI), which threatened to replace many extras or actors in small parts with AI-generated avatars.
So, what did SAG-AFTRA get out of the deal?
First off, a major pay increase, with most minimums being increased by 7%, two per cent higher than increases received by screenwriters and directors.
More importantly in the long term, the deal also includes a “streaming participation bonus,” as well as increases in pension and health contributions. The union said the contract is worth more than $1 billion in total.
“We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers,” the union said in the email. “Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”
Whitehair said said the union gained “structural change” in compensation on streaming platforms. Though the union did not get everything it wanted, he said it would be back seeking more in the next negotiation in 2026. “When performers understand what was gained, they’re going to be thrilled,” Whitehair said.
Full details are expected to be released tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 10), after the national board votes to confirm the deal.
Thirdly, the two sides came up with an agreement on the use of AI. We don’t have the details yet, but the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a statement saying the contract “represents a new paradigm.”
It isn’t just actors celebrating the deal, however, as studios and producers said the agreement came early enough that the big tentpole movies of 2024 will have time to be completed and hit theatres during the biggest months for the industry. The studios warned that if a tentative agreement was not reached soon, the 2023-24 TV season would be lost, and next summer’s theatrical season would be crippled. Prior to the vote, Disney CEO Bob Iger warned SAG-AFTRA in an interview on CNBC that the financial impact would be much more negative if the deal was not accepted.
“Obviously we’d like to try to preserve a summer of films,” Iger said. “The entire industry is focused on that. We don’t have much time to do that.”
As a result, the AMPTP delivered its “last, best and final” offer on Friday, which included an increased bonus for actors who appear on the most-watched streaming shows.
Technically the deal isn’t done yet, as union members have to ratify the agreement, which will take at least a week, but the strike has been called off, an actors can return to work immediately.
As well, the deal is expected to gain massive support among union members, many of whom have suffered serious economic hardships during the strike.
The same is true for licensing companies who work in the entertainment field, who can now look forward to seeing top films and TV series hitting screens over the coming months. Below, find a fairly comprehensive list of major productions stalled by the SAG-AFTRA strike that should see a release in 2024.
A24
Problemista
Disney / Marvel / Pixar
Avatar 3
Avengers: “The Kang Dynasty
Blade
Captain America: Brave New World
Deadpool 3
Elio
Fantastic Four
Lilo & Stitch
Snow White
Thunderbolts
Universal
Wicked
Warner Bros
Beetlejuice 2
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Mortal Kombat
TV
ABC
Abbott Elementary season three
Grey’s Anatomy season 20
Apple TV+
Loot
Metropolis
Severance season two
CBS
FBI: Most Wanted season five
Young Sheldon season seven
Disney+
Andor season two
Daredevil: Born Again
Ironheart
X-Men ’97
Fox
American Dad season 21
Family Guy season 22
HBO
Euphoria season three
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
The Last of Us season two
The White Lotus season three
Max
Duster
Hacks season three
Penguin
The Sex Lives of College Girls season three
MGM/Amazon
The Handmaid’s Tale season six
NBC
Law & Order season 23
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 25
Netflix
Big Mouth season eight
Cobra Kai season six
Emily in Paris season four
Stranger Things season five
Wednesday season two
Paramount
Yellowstone season six
Paramount+
1923 season two
Tulsa King season two
Peacock
Poker Face season two
Showtime
The Chi season seven
Yellowjackets season three
Prime Video
Citadel season two
The Summer I Turned Pretty season three
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