One down, a whopper to go.
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has OK'd a tentative deal with Hollywood studios on a new three-year contract, a first step in avoiding an industrywide actors' strike this summer.
The union said this morning that the deal focuses on new media paychecks, establishing fees for content streamed and downloaded over the Internet and covering the use of actors' voices and images in online clips.
The AFTRA deal only covers a few TV shows—including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rules of Engagement, Flight of the Conchords and Reaper, as well as the new sitcoms Project Gary, Harper's Island and Roman's Empire—and must still be ratified by the union's members.
"This is another groundbreaking agreement for AFTRA," the union's national president Roberta Reardon said in a statement. "In addition to achieving meaningful gains in compensation and working conditions for performers, it also establishes AFTRA jurisdiction in the dynamic area of new media and it preserves performers' consent for use of excerpts of traditional TV shows in new media.
"This is a challenging time in the entertainment industry and this was a tough negotiation."
Speaking of tough negotiations, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers now must make peace with the more belligerent and more powerful Screen Actors Guild, whose members work in most prime-time TV shows and films.
SAG’s contract expires June 30.
In a statement, SAG National President Alan Rosenberg said that although the union had heard about AFTRA's new pact, "We do not know the details of the agreement."
"We look forward to receiving an update from AFTRA staff regarding the negotiations as soon as possible," said Rosenberg. "We look forward to hearing more during a face-to-face briefing with AFTRA’s negotiating committee as soon as AFTRA provides the opportunity."
Rosenberg said the guild, as promised, will be back at the table with producers at 10 a.m.