DGA Reaches Tentative Deal On New Film And TV Contract
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The DGA said Thursday it has reached a tentative agreement on terms for a new three-year film and TV contract. The talks with management’s AMPTP, which began on February 10, concluded Wednesday.
Neither side offered any details, but the guild said that they would be provided after the agreement has been submitted to the guild’s National Board for approval at a special board meeting scheduled for Saturday.
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Negotiations were led by Negotiations Committee co-chairs Jon Avnet and Todd Holland, and the Guild’s chief negotiator, National Executive Director Russell Hollander.
The DGA’s current contracts expire on June 30.
Shortly before the talks started, Avnet and Holland told guild members that “We are in the midst of a complicated, rapidly changing and evolving industry with studios continuing to consolidate and become increasingly vertically integrated, and new streaming services like Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max and Peacock coming online. With this new landscape are complex issues to confront – and so it should come as no surprise that going through our process has been a lengthier undertaking than in previous years.
“As has been our practice for decades, we’ve been immersed in our months-long preparation process. That includes examining the creative and economic issues faced by our members; collecting and analyzing research and data; listening to our Councils, Committees, and members; and coordinating it all to develop our negotiating proposals. As our priorities come into focus, we also engage with the AMPTP companies about upcoming negotiations, and the issues to be addressed. With history as our guide, we know that putting in the work of careful planning, research, and deliberative discussions with Employers increases the likelihood that there will be a thorough examination of the issues, and a successful conclusion to negotiations.”
Now that talks with the DGA have concluded, the AMPTP will probably turn next to the WGA, whose contract expires May 1. The Los Angeles Times reported recently that guild leaders have told showrunners they intend to drop the most controversial of their demands – the one that would “Require signatory companies to negotiate only with agents franchised by the WGA.” That demand, which the AMPTP flatly rejected last March, threatened to drag the major companies into the WGA’s 11-month battle with the major talent agencies over packaging fees.
WGA officials declined comment, but the demand is still listed on the guild’s website as one of its “Pattern of Demands.”
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