Screen Actors Guild & AMPTP Reach Deal to End the Strike

Hollywood is about to be back in business! After 118 days the SAG-AFTRA strike is coming to an end.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) union has been on strike since July 14, 2023 fighting for better compensation, wider access to viewership data, a new system of residuals in the streaming era, and regulations pertaining to artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Over 100 days later, it appears that Hollywood studios – represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – have struck a deal that seems beneficial to the actors.

A roller-coaster of emotions was felt while negotiations between SAG and AMPTP went on. On Sunday, November 5, studios sent what they called a “last, best, and final” offer, which was countered by the actors over the course of the week. After two days of negotiations about that “final” offer, SAG and AMPTP failed to strike a deal by the evening of Tuesday, November 7. Deadline reported that actors and studios were still disagreeing over AI protections, but agreed to continue negotiations the next day.

On Wednesday, November 8, it was announced that a deal between SAG and AMPTP has finally been struck, which means that the actors’ strike of 2023 is officially coming to an end. The announcement from the negotiators said the 118-day strike would end at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, according to Variety.

The agreement was approved unanimously. It will now go to the SAG-AFTRA national board for approval on Friday. Negotiators have spent days putting together the final deal. It will reportedly include protections against AI and significant pay increases.

Full details of the deal are expected to be known on Friday after the national vote, Variety reports.

The SAG strike is coming to an end 45 days after the end of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike on September 24, 2023. With both actors and writers now going back to business, Hollywood can officially get back to work.

Considering that the holiday season is already upon us, it is unlikely that major movies and TV shows will resume production this late into 2023. However, Hollywood can hit the ground running first thing in 2024.

This story is still developing…