Posted on August 1, 2023

By Don Aucoin Boston Globe Staff, July 13, 2023

Fran Drescher, actress and president of SAG-AFTRA, speaks about the vote to strike during a news conference in Los Angeles.MARK ABRAMSON/NYT

It’s not exactly news that digital streaming platforms like Netflix have transformed the entertainment landscape in recent years.

Now a monumental battle is under way over how the revenues from that transformation should be allocated.

In other words, prepare to see some famous faces on picket lines.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which represents 160,000 film, TV, and radio actors, voted Thursday to go on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The alliance represents Hollywood studios, entertainment networks, and streaming platforms.

When coupled with the work stoppage that began in early May by the Writers Guild of America, whose membership includes more than 11,000 screenwriters, the strike means that whatever film and TV production was still occurring will come to a screeching halt.

What issues are the two sides fighting about?

Both the actors and the writers want higher wages for their work, but also — given that we’re well into the era of streaming TV and movies — they are seeking an increase in residuals.

That is a form of financial compensation, akin to royalties, that are paid when TV series go into reruns and when TV shows and movies are sold to streaming platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

The looming — and, to many content creators, job-threatening — shadow of artificial intelligence also hangs over the confrontation. According to the Washington Post, “Actors, in particular, want to regulate the technology so that studios can’t use it to mimic their likenesses without their permission or compensation.”

How acrimonious has this high-profile labor dispute gotten?

Even before Thursday’s vote, blistering statements issued by both sides made clear how far apart and deeply dug in they were

Guild president Fran Drescher said: “SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry. The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us.”

In its own statement before Thursday’s vote, when it was clear a strike was in the offing, the AMPTP — whose members include NBC Universal, Netflix, Sony, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Apple — said: “This is the Union’s choice, not ours. In doing so, it has dismissed our offer of historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses, and more. Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.”

What do the strikes mean for TV and movie audiences?

Because production of scripted TV series will be shut down, new episodes of dramas and sitcoms that usually usher in the fall season on broadcast television in September are likely to be postponed. If the strike drags on, prepare for a lot of reruns. Or you can turn to unscripted reality shows, which will not be affected.

Movies will be impacted not just by production shutdowns but by the fact that actors will be prohibited from engaging in promotional tours for newly released movies at film festivals such as the upcoming ones in Toronto and Venice, seen as Oscar springboards. A favorite platform for publicizing movies, late-night TV shows, has not been an option lately, having gone into reruns when the WGA strike began.

What are the implications for the Emmy Awards broadcast?

Currently scheduled to air Sept. 18 on Fox, the Emmys could well be postponed, given the intensity of this labor dispute.

Will the strikes affect live theater in Boston and elsewhere?

It’s not clear. Stage actors are represented by Actors Equity. Some playwrights do belong to the WGA, however.

Have the actors’ union and the writers’ union ever gone on strike before at the same time?

Yes, in 1960. The Writers Guild of America strike lasted just over five months, while the Screen Actors Guild strike lasted six weeks. At that time, SAG was led by an actor named … Ronald Reagan.