UPDATE, 3:14 p.m. AFTER EXCLUSIVE: After meeting with studio CEOs earlier today, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement saying they are reviewing AMPTP’s latest proposal, which the studios are calling their “last, best and final offer.”
“We received an offer from the AMPTP today that they described as their “last, best and final offer,” the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee said this afternoon.
“We are reviewing it and considering our response in the context of the critical issues raised in our proposals,” they added.
PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE, 2:12 p.m.: A meeting between SAG-AFTRA and an expanded group of studio CEOs on Saturday just ended as the guild considers the AMPTP’s long-awaited response to its latest comprehensive counter.
On this 114th day of the actors’ strike, top officials from Netflix, Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Amazon, Sony, Warner Bros. Discovery and others spoke with SAG-AFTRA executives via Zoom for about an hour to discuss the new document.
“It’s a total package, forward-thinking and fair,” a studio insider told Deadline about what executives put on the virtual table.
“The CEOs told them this was a historic package for the guild, including strong AI protections,” said an executive close to the negotiations. “SAG-AFTRA needs to get back to us now,” another studio veteran said of the state of affairs.
We understand that Guild President Fran Drescher, Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and other members of the SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee are currently reviewing the AMPTP response and discussing next steps. It is currently unclear whether this will lead to further discussions later today or on Sunday. “We have all come a long way, so take the time to get to the bottom of it [the proposal] and the fine print is the only responsible way to approach this now,” remarked a well-placed guild member.
The studios’ package is expected to include, among other things, the highest wage increase in 40 years and a 100 percent increase in performance compensation bonuses for high-budget streaming series and films. So-called “complete” AI protection measures are also included. The latest move “comes a long way toward what SAG wanted,” says an industry veteran.
“We didn’t just come to you, we came all the way to you,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly told SAG-AFTRA executives today about the studios’ latest offer.
However, it is difficult to estimate how close the parties are to agreeing a new three-year deal, sources on both sides say. But perhaps tellingly, “cautious optimism” has now become the expression of choice again on both sides.
On Saturday, a much larger contingent of studio CEOs attended the talks than ever before for the SAG-AFTRA negotiations and WGA deliberations. The gang of four – NBCUni’s Donna Langley, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Disney’s Bob Iger and Netflix’s Sarandos – were all there today as they shared these conversations and the final days of the successful WGA talks in September. Also in attendance were Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins, Disney Co-Chairman Dana Walden, Amazon Studios’ Alan Bergman, Mike Hopkins and Jen Salke, Sony Pictures Chairman Tony Vinciquerra, and Apple Studios’ Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg
Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav and Donna Langley Getty/Courtesy
This performance shows how much pressure studios are under to restart global television and film production. Hollywood has been closed since the WGA first went on strike in early May, followed by SAG-AFTRA in mid-July. According to the latest economic estimates, California has suffered $6.5 billion in losses from the strikes and shutdowns and lost more than 45,000 entertainment jobs.
As far as the studio is concerned, the first half of the fall TV season has proven to be a bit of a letdown aside from unscripted shows and sports programming. On the big screen, the 2024 theatrical release schedule already has several gaps as tentpoles are moved and more – more moves are likely to come if the strike lasts much longer. This weekend, box office for all films was around $58 million, the third-lowest frame since the start of the year. This gritty gross is thanks to Legendary/Warner Bros. “Dune: Part 2” is postponed until next year due to the actors’ strike.
Neither SAG-AFTRA nor AMPTP responded today to Deadline’s requests for comment on the status of the talks. If this is the case, we will update this post.