Four-month Hollywood actors’ strike is over

After 118 days on the picket line, the Hollywood actor’s union Sag-Aftra has reached agreement with the studios, ending an unprecedented summer of union activity in the world’s largest entertainment industry. In a memo to members, the actor’s negotiation committee valued the deal at more than $1 billion and said it includes “‘above-pattern’ minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI”. For the first time it also establishes a streaming participation bonus. The details of the AI deal are unclear but will prove the most significant in the long term, with important repercussions outside Hollywood. IP lawyers for both sides pored over recent US AI legislation to agree terms, offering early insights into what promises to be a running battle between law and algorithm. Filming restarts – but next year’s movies and TV shows are still delayed. And there’s a final warning from Sag to the studios: “We also thank our union siblings — the workers that power this industry — for the sacrifices they have made while supporting our strike and that of the Writers Guild of America (WGA). We stand together in solidarity and will be there for you when you need us.” This may not be peace in our time.