The languors of summer are behind us — and still no settlement in the “SAG Slowdown” of ’08, which, as readers of this space know all too well, has the unfortunate timing of following the actual “Writer’s Strike” of ’07-’08.
kind of like the serial hurricanes in the gulf.
Meanwhile, this piece just ran at C21 Media, as the “fall season” — allowing for the conceit that television still has “seasons” in the digital age — of TeeVee gets underway, and other deals, contractually-speaking, are forged:
AFTRA muscles in on SAG territory
US actors’ union the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) has begun to encroach on the terrestrial primetime jurisdiction traditionally dominated by its contract–less rival, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
According to rules set by the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), SAG has exclusive jurisdiction over network primetime shows shot on film, but in the case of programmes shot on video, studios may go with either union.
Nonetheless, SAG has continued to dominate the terrestrial space, but AFTRA, having ratified a new three–year primetime contract with the AMPTP in July, is becoming a more attractive option.
Already this season, several major productions have gone with AFTRA cover, including such high–profile projects as The CW’s drama 90210, from CBS Paramount TV; CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, produced by ABC Studios; ABC newcomers Better Off Ted, from 20th Century Fox, and The Unusuals, from Sony Pictures TV; and an ABC pilot, Prince of Motor City, from ABC Studios.
More at the link, above.
