Hollywood actors, studios agree to media blackout for labor talks

[June 08, 2023]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The SAG-AFTRA actors union and the group representing major Hollywood studios agreed not to talk to the media during contract talks that started on Wednesday.  

The actors' union is seeking pay increases and protections around the use of artificial intelligence in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Walt Disney Co, Netflix Inc, Comcast Corp and other companies.

"SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP began formal negotiations for a new contract, and with the agreement that neither organization will comment to the media about the negotiations during the process," the parties said in a statement.

The actors' negotiations are taking place as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) remains on strike. The work stoppage, which began May 2, has shut down late-night talk shows and halted production of shows such as a new season of "Stranger Things."

SAG-AFTRA members have authorized a strike if their talks fail to yield an agreement by June 30.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

(Photo: Actress Marg Helgenberger (L), star of the CBS TV network series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, walks a picket line along with members of the Writers Guild of America at one of the gates to Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California November 5, 2007. Some 12,000 screenwriters went on strike against the U.S. film and television industry on Monday after the collapse of last-ditch contract negotiations aimed at preserving nearly 20 years of Hollywood labor peace. REUTERS/Fred Prouser)

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