Actors' Strike Ends: Streaming Pay Hikes, Minimum Gains
- by Wayne Friedman , November 9, 2023
The nearly four-month-old actors' strike has reached a tentative three-year agreement between the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA and the major TV/movie studios with gains made in minimum pay for members and improvement in residual payments for streaming TV shows and movies.
The strike officially ended at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday for 160,000 actors and performers. The actors' walkout began on July 14, joining forces with the writers who had been on strike since May 2.
Actors still need to vote on the agreement to finalize the deal.
On Saturday, the studios -- through their negotiating group Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers -- presented to SAG-AFTRA their “last, best and final offer”, which union officials then spent the next several days making changes in the language.
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The deal also includes improved contributions to the union's health and pension plans.
The agreement comes less than a month after the Writer’s Guild members approved their own agreement with the studios.
Writers also looked to raise their fees for streaming programs, as well as protections against artificial intelligence efforts, which could replace their work.
Under its new deal, the writers will get success-based streaming TV bonuses, minimum rate increases, and staffing minimums.
Both strikes caused major disruption for the start of the fall TV season in September with many popular prime-time scripted TV shows out of production. The six-month combined writers'-actors' strike has been estimated to have cost the industry $6.5 billion, especially with regard to the Southern California economy.
It also had an effect on summer’s TV upfront advertising market -- already suffering from general marketplace weakness since the fourth quarter of 2022. This summer’s upfront selling period witnessed rare pricing declines for scripted entertainment of around 1% to 3%.
TV networks had hoped the strikes would end in early fall with the hopes of re-starting the production process at that time. That would mean they could have new scripted TV episodes ready to air around January/February 2024.
The end of the actors' strike marks a significant development in the entertainment industry, with both positive and contentious aspects. On the one hand, the agreement reflects the growing influence of streaming platforms as they have offered pay hikes to actors, highlighting their increasing role in shaping the industry's compensation dynamics. This demonstrates a recognition of the importance of actors in the success of streaming content. However, the term "Minimum Gains" suggests that not all of the actors' demands were met, raising questions about the long-term implications of this deal and the potential impact on working conditions and wages for those in the industry. The resolution of the strike is a crucial step, but it also underscores the ongoing challenges of balancing the interests of actors, studios, and streaming giants in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape.
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I believe the term "minimum gains" was referring to the minimum pay levels for actors i.e., the floor on which their fee is based.
I had a feeling that the strike would end at this time as the studios wanted the actors & actresses to promote the holiday movies and also get the shows back on broadcast for at least 13 EPs. It wasn't that bad as I like reality TV, game shows along with sports it wasn't bad for me.