You may start seeing a lot more of your favorite TV actors, as their union approved a deal on Saturday that would allow them to appear on multiple shows at once.
SAG-AFTRA has been pushing for a decade to reduce so-called “exclusivity” agreements, which prevent TV series regulars from taking other jobs while on hiatus.
In the deal approved Saturday by the union’s national board, producers will have to give TV actors a three-month period after each season in which they can take any job they want. This means that the stars of the shows may start appearing more often as guest stars, or even as regulars, on shows on other platforms and networks. The new agreement will apply to work under contracts signed from January 1.
The deal also includes a limitation on the reasons a producer can prevent a series regular from accepting an appearance on another show.
SAG-AFTRA explained the financial component as follows: “An increase in exclusivity money goes from $15,000 per week or per episode for half-hour programs to $20,000 per week or per episode for feature programs. an hour or more at $65,000 per week or per episode. for half-hour programs and $70,000 per week or per hour for programs of one hour or more.”
The deal came after the union forced the issue, with a bill in Sacramento that would have essentially eliminated exclusivity provisions. That bill, AB 437, appeared on its way through the Legislature, prompting the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance, which negotiates on behalf of the studios, to seek a negotiated solution.
The invoice will now be withdrawn.
The legislation had been opposed by the Motion Picture Association, which argued that it would make it more difficult to coordinate schedules and could lead to fewer TV shows being renewed for multiple seasons.
The union has defended that in the current television environment – with a profusion of shows and platforms – exclusivity is much less important than in the era of three broadcast channels.
Earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA made a similar deal with Netflix. This agreement also creates a mandatory three-month conflict-free window and sets limits on option periods. The actors’ union has also complained that actors can be left in limbo for months or years while a network decides whether or not to renew a show. Netflix’s agreement limits these option periods to 18 months after the start of principal photography on a season. It also establishes the requirement that filming begin within two months of the exercise of the option.
The agreement with the AMPTP does not contemplate option periods, although this could be addressed when the contract comes up for negotiation next year.