On November 8th, the actors strike officially reached its end with studios and the SAG-AFTRA union reaching an agreement. SAG-AFTRA stands for Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and aims to protect the rights of actors in the union. The strike began in July, in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America strike that ended in July.
During the strike, which lasted almost four months, many productions were put on hold as actors stopped working and began to protest when asked by the union. Studios have been negotiating with the union throughout the strike, many offers failed to meet the demands until an agreement was reached.
The union and studios agreement promises an increase in general pay for actors and streaming bonuses for shows that reach a successful number of viewers. Studios also agreed to limits on use of AI onscreen, specifically requiring actor’s consent to use an AI model of them with clear communication on the intended use. With the actor’s demands met by the studio, many will be returning to work and productions will continue.