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SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP Negotiations Expected to Resume on Thursday (UPDATE)

As rumblings of "cautious optimism" continue to grow, SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are expected to return to negotiations on Thursday, November 2nd.

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On a day when a number of unions went "Avengers: Endgame" on The Mouse with a unity picket rally outside of Disney's headquarters, Disney was making the preliminary move to buy out Comcast's stake in Hulu – meaning The Mouse will be the streamer's lone owner (after paying a minimum of $8.61B for it once the assessment process wraps). For some reason, those contrasting stories seem to sum up pretty much how things have been over the past several months between AMPTP and the WGA & SAG-AFTRA. But the WGA has its new three-year deal now – and the rumblings surrounding the current talks between the actors' union and studios & streamers have been downright… "cautiously optimistic"? Even SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher took to social media earlier today to tell union members, "I just want you to know that I feel a sense of strength, not anger, and I feel a sense of optimism, not negativity." Well, it's sounding more and more like that optimism is starting to spread, with SAG-AFTRA & AMPTP expected to return to negotiations on Thursday, November 2nd (though nothing has officially been released by the union or studios & streamers at the time of this writing).

SAG-AFTRA
Los Angeles, CA, Aug 30, 2023: striking actor holding SAG-AFTRA sign saying "We're still here" while picketing outside Paramount Pictures in Hollywood (Shutterstock.com/vesperstock)

Reports are that SAG-AFTRA Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and AMTP President Carol Lombardini spearheaded today's talks – with NBCUniversal's Donna Langley, Disney's Bob Iger, Warner Bros Discovery's David Zaslav, and Netflix's Ted Sarandos not participating in today's negotiating session. Additionally, word is that smaller groups have been focusing on a number of key dividing issues, like the use of AI and how the casts of successful streaming series & films will be properly compensated. Once again, while rumblings from sources are painting a rosy picture of how things are going, none of it really means anything unless it comes directly from SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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