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Major Hollywood studios and broadcast companies met with SAG-AFTRA leadership on Saturday to present a comprehensive package of proposals in an effort to end the actors’ strike.
The union sent a memo to its members after the meeting ended, saying that the negotiating committee is now reviewing what it says is the “last, best and final offer” submitted by the companies. He also urged members to ignore outside speculation and rumours.
A slew of CEOs from major studios and streamers attended Saturday’s negotiation session with SAG leadership, Hollywood Reporter to learn.
Behind the scenes, top executives say they may end negotiations for now — or more likely until the new year — if SAG-AFTRA does not embrace what one source on the studio side of the meeting claimed was a deal “worth more than three of the recent deals combined.” ”
Studios have told SAG leadership in recent days that if there’s no sign of resolution by the first or second week of November, their 2024 summer movie slate could be thrown into disarray; Ditto for the upcoming TV season, which has already been affected.
“This is a very good deal for them; “They got almost everything they wanted and came back for more,” the source says, adding that unless an agreement is reached this weekend or early next week, “that means we’re done.”
In terms of the final offer, the studios and streamers made what they characterized as significant concessions, including better protections for AI than the WGA’s recently offered deal (an actor’s needs with respect to AI protections are, of course, very different from those of writers, and higher pay increases In 40 years). Years and a completely new flow remaining based on performance metrics.
The two parties met Saturday on Zoom after the studios made their final offer to the union’s top negotiators on Friday night. Studio heads, including Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, and Warner Bros.’ David Zaslav attended. Discovery reviewed previous negotiating sessions with SAG-AFTRA this year, as well as with the Writers Guild of America before that union closed its deal in late September. – But Saturday’s group was more numerous.
Top executives from Paramount, Sony, Apple and Amazon were also in attendance, meaning all the major old Hollywood studios were represented alongside the three tech giants with major ambitions in film and TV.
The turnout was a serious sign as the SAG-AFTRA strike reached its 114th day. As of Saturday, sources gave varying answers about when an agreement might be reached, with some more optimistic than others that negotiations could end quickly at this juncture. The SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee met Saturday morning to prepare for today’s negotiating session.
The two parties returned to the negotiating table and have met continuously since October 24. Iger, Langley, Sarandos, and Zaslav were present at some of those meetings, but AMPTP’s most recent president, Carole Lombardini, led the conversations on behalf of the studios. .
A little more than a week ago, the expanded group of top executives met with SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and union president Fran Drescher, among other things, to determine what the risks are with their TV and film production schedules and how they work. Reaching the turning point.
Participants on that call, in addition to the four regular executives who attended previous negotiating sessions, included Sony Pictures Chairman Tony Vinciquera, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins, and Amazon Studios’ Mike Hopkins and Jennifer Salke.
November 4, 2:45 p.m: Updated with meeting details and SAG statement.
Kim Masters contributed to this report.
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