SAG, AFTRA and the ad industry’s Joint Policy Committee on Broadcast Talent Union Relations agreed to hire a consultant to address how actors in commercials will be paid when spots appear over new digital media.
Nine consultant firms have been tapped to submit proposals on methodology, timeline and cost by early June.
The goal is to stave off potential trouble as the groups renegotiate contracts that are set to expire in the fall. As part of the ongoing discussions, the groups are considering an extension of that late-October contract expiration date so that the compensation study can be completed, Advertising Age reported.
Discussions are also intended to stop another actors strike long before it happens.
The consultants could come up with multiple revenue models, which the JPC and the talent reps will consider, tweak or amend. The JPC was pursuing its own compensation study when SAG and AFTRA recently decided to join in the process.
“Advertisers have made it clear that this isn’t about cutting back on compensation,” said John Hinrichs, an AFTRA spokesman. “It’s a positive step that we’re discussing this now.”
