The actors strike won't be over anytime soon

Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP broke down this week. vox.com/culture CULTURE   The SAG-AFTRA strike continues to touch on issues that resonate with many of us, far beyond Hollywood. As talks with the AMPTP broke down this week over issues involving everything from streaming metrics to actors’ rights regarding AI, I was grateful for Alissa Wilkinson’s [latest strike update](, which elucidates the issues and highlights just how high the stakes are. As she notes, the items on the table are existential for the entire acting profession, and perhaps even for professional creators everywhere. The ongoing strikes in the US haven’t been easy on workers, either. If you or someone you know has been on strike and could speak to the experience, our own Emily Stewart is interested in talking to you for a future story. You can email her at emily.stewart@vox.com. —[Aja Romano](, culture writer Editor's note: For ongoing coverage and analysis of the developing conflict between Israel and Hamas, [read our Vox colleagues' work here](. The actors strike negotiations have broken down [image of a SAG-AFTRA member holding a sign on strike]( Elsa/Getty Images The Hollywood writers strike officially ended on Tuesday, October 10, when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) [voted to ratify its contract]( with the AMPTP (the organization that represents Hollywood’s major studios and production companies). But the actors are still very much on the picket line — and there’s no clear end in sight. SAG-AFTRA — the 160,000-member [union]( that represents Hollywood’s actors and performers — has been in talks with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) since October 2. But late in the evening on October 11, the AMPTP released a statement announcing that talks had been suspended, illuminating the first of two major sticking points in the negotiations. “It is clear that the gap between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA is too great, and conversations are no longer moving us in a productive direction,” the AMPTP’s statement [read](. The studios laid out their proposals in the statement, highlighting SAG-AFTRA’s demand for a “viewership bonus” that the studios claim would cost an additional $800 million per year, an “untenable economic burden.” The viewership bonus would increase compensation for performers whose projects are very successful, a measure that would require the studios to make public the viewership for streaming content — something they’ve resisted. But it seems there’s another major issue at play, in addition to issues of compensation. In the wee hours of October 12, SAG-AFTRA released [its own counter-statement](, in which the union said that the AMPTP had “presented an offer that was, shockingly, worth less than they proposed before the strike began.” The union also accused the AMPTP of having “misrepresented to the press the cost of the above proposal — overstating it by 60%.” [Read the full story »](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( The Golden Bachelor is kinder, gentler, grayer reality TV The best Bachelor yet is revitalizing a tired old franchise. [Read the full story »]( The satire, ironic boredom, and Drake-fueled mystery of podcaster Bobbi Althoff, explained The celebrity interviewer is really good at selling disinterest. [Read the full story »](   Support our work We aim to explain what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Support our mission by making a gift today. [Give](   More good stuff to read today - [The Eras concert movie is Taylor Swift leveling up]( - [Why aren't we watching more short films?]( - [The new Exorcist movie proves how much the world has changed since 1973]( - [The art of quitting]( - [Even for high earners, student loan repayment is crushing]( - [An hour-by-hour guide to your bedtime routine](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.