Studios Make ‘Last, Best and Final’ Offer to Actors Union
Top execs from Paramount, Apple, Amazon and Sony were also at the table this time around
UPDATE: The union released the following statement shortly after this was published Saturday afternoon:
"We received an offer today from the AMPTP, which they characterized as their ‘Last, Best, and Final Offer.’
We are reviewing it and considering our response within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals."
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is standing firm on its most recent counterproposal package presented to SAG-AFTRA, as talks end for the day on Saturday, according to a source close to the negotiations who referred to the studio’s counter as a “last, best and final” offer.
The talks got more serious these past two weeks, with counterproposals being traded back and forth and studio execs at the highest level in attendance. According to the The Hollywood Reporter, top studio execs from Paramount, Sony, Apple TV+ and Amazon Studios were also present today — a notably larger crowd than previous bargaining sessions that have included Disney’s Bob Iger, WBD’s David Zaslav, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Universal’s Donna Langley.
The issue of artificial intelligence has been a sticking point, as it was in the homestretch of talks with the Writers Guild, but by Wednesday it had moved “plausibly closer” to a point of agreement, said a person close to the talks. The high level of optimism earlier this week that a deal might be reached before this upcoming Monday has since been tempered, though not cooled completely.
It is not yet clear whether the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA will meet again on Sunday. SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP did not respond to requests for comment.
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