With just hours to go until the deadline for the Screen Actors Guild Of America (SAG) was due to expire at the end of June, the  Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) (aka the studios including Disney) and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have agreed to an extension of the 2020 TV/Theatrical contracts. The agreements, which were set to expire at 11:59 p.m. PT tonight, will now expire on July 12th2023, at 11:59 pm PT.

Earlier in June, members of the SAG guild voted to authorise a strike, should the studios and the union fail to reach an agreement.  The Writers Guild of America is also currently on strike due to a failure to come to an agreement over pay and conditions, which has resulted in the development and production of many films and shows being put on hold.  The Directors Guild also recently agreed to a deal with the studios, so they won’t be going on strike.  Should the actors go on strike, this will basically shut down production on most projects including many internationally.

Both parties will continue negotiating under a mutually agreed upon media blackout so that neither organization will comment to the media about the negotiations during the extension.

One of the many issues currently facing the studios and actors, is how actors are paid residuals for shows and films that are available on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.  As you’d expect, the actors want to get more money for their work, especially as streaming has become the standard way most people watch shows now and will continue to grow.  While the studios want to pay much less because they don’t think streaming is going to be as profitable as the traditional linear model.

With the July 4th weekend, it was expected that the deal would potentially be extended, but now it gives the negotiations an extra week or so to try to get a deal across the line, to stop Hollywood from basically coming to a halt.   While the studios have planned for disruptions to their plans for the summer, should the actors go on strike, it not only means no filming can happen on new projects, but they also can’t do promotion for upcoming projects, which is why many of the studios have pulled out of events like San Diego Comic-Con.

Do you think a deal will be made?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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