The shutdown has had a lot riding on it for everyone
Andy Marken October 2, 2023
0 Comments
The Beast is a sentient creature who represents the highest form of humans' evolution. He believes the time of ordinary humanity is over. I hope this makes you feel calm. You will be in the presence of something greater. Dennis, Split, Universal Pictures, 2017
Source Split Universal Pictures
Right about now, both sides of the first joint WGA/SAG-AFTRA (writers/actors) walkout in more than 60 years and their adversaries, AMPTP (studios, networks, streamers), have finally found one thing this would be a great business if it weren't for the people.
Even the simplest of issues - pay increases and streaming residuals - have yes but and how about problems that can be worked out so that neither side is happy with it but that's what makes a good agreement.
And when you have about 20,000 writers and 160,000 entertainment professionals involved, there will be a lot of questions and issues that go unanswered or aren't addressed.
The biggest challenge is that the two unions are different from most unions.
Consider the UAW, the UPS drivers union, hotel staff unions or teachers unions. The pay, challenges, pain points are similar if you've been a member for one year, 10 years or
With the WGA/SAG-AFTRA, there are perhaps 10 percent of these folks (A-listers) that AMPTP members actively solicit for specific projects, and they usually negotiate their specific contracts.
Most are folks you may kinda recognize from something you don't really recall, someone who has been diligently/effectively doing their job for years or newer members who want to perfect/refine their expertise and work in a business they like/love.
On the other side of the table are the 350 AMPTP members, many of whom took a much needed break in mid-July to take their private planes to the annual Allen & Co Sun Valley Conference where the who's who of the financial, media, technology world get together to unwind, network, golf and occasionally do deals.
Deal House - Every mid-July, Allen & Co turns the Sun Valley Lodge into a cool respite for studio, tech and other executives to get together and talk about their problems/issues and perhaps along the way make a deal or two but that's later. Right then, it's about escaping with your peers.
Source Sun Valley Lodge
Better known as the Summer Camp for Billionaires, they needed the break because many - WBD's Zaslav, Netflix' Sarandos, Amazon's Jassey, Disney's Iger, Meta's Zuckerberg, Google's Pichai and others - have had a tough year paring staffs (firings), tearing up/reassembling their organizations and figuring out how they can use the new tech toy unmonitored AI to their advantage.
Studio and tech executives have been under hellacious pressure from Wall Street analysts and stockholders to make positive changes that will improve their organization's free cash flow during a period of unprecedented industry transformation as the industry and world changes all around them and under their feet.
Disney's overhaul (eliminating 7,000 positions) produced cost savings of $5.5B. WBD's pockets of improvement produced similar staffing reductions and savings. Paramount reduced its staffing by 25 percent. Other networks/studios made similar improvements.
At the Allen retreat, Bob Iger - with a two-year contract extension in his pocket - said that his team had identified certain no-growth businesses and was focusing on repairing/improving the company's creative engines.
The entertainment and media industry has changed significantly since 2019 and the usual guidelines and checkpoints that studios/networks previously used don't exist today.
They're working/dealing in new/unfamiliar territories.
John Landgraf's (FX Networks' CEO) Peak TV which he coined to describe broadcast, cable pay TV continues to shrivel as original scripted programming gets replaced by unscripted game, reality and non-fiction shows that are easier/cheaper to produce for the rapidly dwindling day/date viewer base.
At the same time, network's/studio's rapid leap into the ultra-promising direct-to-consumer streaming content environment that Netflix and Amazon pioneered (along with YouTube, Hulu) back in 2007 hasn't gone as smoothly - or as rapidly as Wall Street analysts projected.
Who knew the fickle subscribers wanted/expected a steady stream of new, unique scripted movies/shows to watch when, where and how they wanted or would resort to what MediaPost's Wayne Freeman called Peak Churn - the rapid/continuous hopscotch of streaming subscription?
Buddy Talk - With a new 2-year contract extension, Disney's CEO Bob Iger (l) and Apple's CEO Tim Cook (center) enjoy a quiet discussion with Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet & services, about who knows what.
Source Bloomberg News
As a result, the new streamers have been consistently bleeding 100s of millions of dollars which has only been exacerbated by the joint strike for higher wages, benefits and more that can only impact their organizations' bottom line, further endangering their $10-50 million salaries.
Initial pain points such as increased pay, protections around the audition process, writing room size, pre-/post production TV series writing compensation, more favorable terms for pension and health contributions, on-camera rate for dancers' rehearsal days and redefinition/increases in residuals have been major issues for a large portion of the 180,000 individuals who want to make a decent living in the largely freelance industry.
Granted, it's a well-defined freelance industry but they still move from one movie/show project to another, always working to keep their work calendar filled.
During th
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) today announced a strategic new integration to deliver ...
16/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...
16/07/2026
XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
General-purpose robots and autonomous machines are moving from research labs to ...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and iconic gaming companies, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI ...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
The shutdown has had a lot riding on it for everyone 
