Throughout the summer time of 2023, Hollywood weathered the longest strike by Display screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Tv and Radio Artists within the performers union’s historical past.
One of many last negotiation factors, a long-promised “Robin Hood” fund meant to share the advantages of streaming success, has lastly been arrange.
Final week — moments earlier than the labor union named their new president, Sean Astin — the guild introduced {that a} SAG-AFTRA Producers Success Distribution Fund had been formally established. Performers in in style made-for-streaming exhibits who beforehand won’t have been compensated for his or her present’s viewership can now earn their “first-ever secondary earnings stream,” the labor group mentioned in a press release.
The system permits for income to be shared with a pool of union employees, comparable to stand-ins, stunt riggers and background actors.
How does the fund work?
As a part of the contract that ended the 118-day strike, SAG-AFTRA and the studios agreed to arrange a bonus system for actors whose exhibits reached a sure viewership threshold. A few of these funds can be earmarked for a newly created streaming cost distribution fund to profit extra performers.
When a big funds streaming mission attracts 20% of the streaming service’s viewers within the first 90 days of launch, it usually generates a bonus. Seventy-five % of that bonus goes to the actors within the mission, and 25% will now be put within the fund to be collectively administered by SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Movement Image and Tv Producers, the group that represents the studios and streaming companies in labor dealings. SAG-AFTRA estimates that, over the three-year contract time period, the full streaming bonus might equal round $120 million.
Who advantages?
For now, recipients are restricted to those that work on streaming tasks that first aired on or after Jan. 1, 2024.
Why is that this vital to actors?
The fund was spearheaded by Fran Drescher, the outgoing SAG-AFTRA union president, as a approach to assist employees adapt to the streaming enterprise mannequin. Earlier than streaming, actors would obtain cost when a well-liked present went into syndication. However in streaming, there’s not a direct equal for syndication, and which means the actors whose packages don’t meet the bonus standards are left behind.
“That is the final puzzle piece from the 2023 TV/Theatrical/Streaming contract,” mentioned Dresher in a information launch. “And for the primary time in our union’s historical past, members from each the stunts and background communities who work a minimal of 25 days will obtain the bonus too.”
The panorama of Hollywood actors is made up of haves and have-nots, with the extremely paid stars making up a small minority of union membership. SAG-AFTRA is made up of round 160,000 members, however solely 14% make no less than $26,470 to qualify for the union’s medical insurance and seven% earn $80,000 or extra a yr. The thought of the bonus fund is to assist make performing a extra sustainable profession within the streaming period.
What’s subsequent?
A negotiating committee of trustees, from each the employers and the union, is ready to resolve on how the cash might be distributed. The union has additionally secured an expanded record of eligible productions. Timing and eligibility has but to be disclosed, in addition to the fund’s high quality print.
SAG-AFTRA’s present contract is ready to run out in June 2026.
