Negotiations for contracts between Hollywood actors and studios and networks have resumed.

LOS ANGELES – 

Representatives from major studios, television networks, and streaming services met with negotiators for striking Hollywood actors on Monday to resume discussions about their contract. This was the first time the two parties had sat down together since mid-July.

Discussions were resumed between the SAG-AFTRA union and the AMPTP, 8 days following the producers’ successful negotiation with screenwriters, who began their strike on May 2, almost 10 weeks before the actors.

SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP held a complete day of negotiations and have reached a conclusion, according to a joint statement at the end of the day. It was announced that talks will continue on Wednesday.

There is no additional information currently accessible. Both parties have agreed to refrain from sharing news during their discussions.

On September 24, the producers and the 11,500-member Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement which not only allowed for their labor dispute to be resolved three days later, but also has the potential to be a model for resolving the actors’ strike.

On July 14, the biggest union in Hollywood, SAG-AFTRA, consisting of 160,000 actors in TV and film, went on strike in order to request increased base pay and residual compensation for streaming TV, as well as limitations on the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entertainment industry.

The writers strike revolved around the same problems.

In the field of artificial intelligence, individuals desire to safeguard their identities and creations from being substituted by computer-generated “digital clones.”

They are also looking for fair compensation for their contributions to the emerging streaming industry, particularly through sharing of profits.

Some requests made by actors involve restrictions on self-recorded auditions during casting, which they claim are more expensive than in-person readings. They are also requesting guarantees of more diversity on set, such as providing hair and makeup artists who are skilled in working with diverse hair types and skin tones.

The negotiations for contracts between the actors and studios resumed at the same time as network TV’s late-night talk show hosts, including Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel, returned to television on Monday. Comedian John Oliver also came back to HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday. – Reuters