SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., July 25, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Sept 27 (Reuters) – Hollywood studios and negotiators for Hollywood actors on strike will hold talks on Oct. 2, both side said in a joint statement on Wednesday, in the first such meeting in months.
The SAG-AFTRA actors union, Hollywood’s largest with 160,000 members, walked off the job in July asking for higher pay and for curbs on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in entertainment, demands similar to Hollywood writers.
The writers’ union struck a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Walt Disney (DIS.N), Netflix (NFLX.O) and other studios on Sunday after five months of failed negotiations.
SAG-AFTRA has a wide range of performers with different issues they want addressed.
The performers want to protect their images and work from being replaced by “digital replicas” generated with AI while actors are looking for compensation that reflects the value they bring to streaming, specifically in the form of revenue sharing.
Other demands from actors include limits on self-taped auditions used in casting, which they argue are more costly than in-person readings. They also want hair and makeup artists who can work with various hair textures and skin tones, to ensure equity for all performers.
Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Miral Fahmy
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