The AFTRA (Radio and Television) today agreed on new contracts with the studios, a small three weeks after the negotiations started. “This is a challenging time in the entertainment industry, and this was a tough negotiation,” an AFTRA spokesman said. The deal comes as quite a surprise, since the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) negotiations dragged on and on last month and were broken off to make way for the AFTRA. This will put extra pressure on the SAG, which was already accused of setting unreasonable demands.

“Our ability to achieve these crucial breakthroughs for performers was a direct result of AFTRA members’ pragmatic approach to collective bargaining,” the AFTRA said, taking a small stab at the SAG. The main dispute between the AFTRA and the studios were online clips. The studios wanted to be able to show them without consent, while the AFTRA wanted their members to approve such clips. The two now agreed to have a broader system, where members can approve for example the clips from an entire TV series.

It was the first time in 27 years that the SAG and AFTRA bargained separately. The SAG, which has three times as many members, is expected to resume their talks shortly.

It isn’t over yet, but it is for now. The studios have rejected the Screen Actors Guild’s (SAG) offer to extend talks for the third time. The AFTRA (Radio and TV) was scheduled to talk with the studios over two weeks ago, but because the SAG and the studios weren’t able to make a deal they moved these negotiations two times.

In our last update we mentioned how the SAG lowered its demand for double residuals from DVD sales from +100% to +15%. This was one of the major disputes in the negotiations. And while it looked like progression, it wasn’t enough. “With SAG’s continued adherence to unreasonable demands in both new and traditional media, continuing negotiations at this time does not make sense,” the studios said.

It seems understandable the studios want to go talk with the AFTRA. For they promised it two weeks ago. But the SAG doesn’t share this opinion. “We made significant moves in their direction,” Doug Allen of the SAG said. “We’re trying to get the deal done and we’re not the ones who walked away.“

No, but weren’t you the one stalling? It’s always difficult to judge from the outside. But putting the blame on each other won’t be helping. With talks probably resuming at the end of May, June 30 is becoming awfully close. The AFTRA seems to take a different approach this week, they will go into a ‘press blackout’ during the negotiations, smart.

Finally some progress in the negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the studios. Where we in our last update mentioned how the studios wouldn’t give in on the SAG’s demands for double residuals from DVD sales, the SAG has finally let go. They’ve now lowered it to just 15% and also lowered some other demands, like the 50% pay increase for guest stars on TV shows.

The talks between the studios and the SAG will again be extended until next Tuesday. And the studios have again asked the AFTRA (Radio and Television) to delay their talks to Wednesday. Earlier this week, the studios stated the SAG was being ‘unresponsive, unreasonable and unrealistic.’ Surprisingly, this seemed to have helped. But it’s far from over. The people looking for a strike might still get one — though I hope there aren’t a lot of those.