Writers and actors spent the summer searching for increased residuals forstreamingshows and they were somewhat successful.
But what does it mean in practice?
What shows will really nab the bonus checks?
Poker Face(Peacock)Peacock
How much will they make and what comes next?
Its clear that Netflixs biggest series such asStranger Things, WednesdayandBridgertonwill be rewarded under the new system.
I would say the studios didnt go hugely far with what they were doing.
The splashiest of shows are really the ones [that will be rewarded].
HOW DOES IT WORK?
However, the performer will only receive 75% of that payment.
Since it was unveiled, this language raised questions as to how this fund would operate.
Distribution guidelines and eligibility will be determined by the trustees, once they are appointed.
So far, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have not discussed those specifics, according to Crabtree-Ireland.
WHAT SHOWS WILL BE REWARDED?
But calculating which other shows might have met the threshold is trickier.
PeacocksPoker Faceappears to be one such series eligible for the bonus.
However, its harder to calculate for other streamers.
Its obviously not a fixed number, its going to depend upon how successful projects are.
Then, multiply that by 45% for the first exhibition year.
So, that residual is either $1,902.69 or $2,035.9 per episode, depending on the episode length.
For Stranger Things 4, those bases are either $30,398 or $75,000.
Then, multiply that by 45% for the first exhibition year.
That comes out to $20,518.65.
For the lengthier episodes, it would be $40,500.
These calculations are based on the residual base if the story and teleplay are credited to the same writer.
If they are credited to different writers, the residual for each drops dramatically.
However, as several experts point out, the terms are far from perfect.
I think the guild did a good job of opening the door.
The reality is, guilds negotiate the floor, an agent told Deadline.
Its up to agents and talent representatives and everybody else to push through the rest of it.
Sorry,Jury Duty, Amazon Freevee doesnt qualify.
Neither would Netflixs popular reality series likeLove Is BlindorSelling Sunset.
If you look at the amount of compensation, its insanely small.
This is effectively a second [fixed] residual, Offenberg said.
Its not even that the actors get a second residual, they get 75% of the second.
Most notably, it doesnt account for completion rate, a valuable data point for the streaming services.
This ultimately inflates unique views.
This is realistically not a number that streamers are prioritizing when determining success internally.
It also allows for continued comparison with Nielsens streaming data, which is reported in minutes viewed.
The reality is, theres no perfect way to measure viewership.
You dont know how many people are in the room watching.
You dont know if theyre actually watching or if theyre folding laundry.
Were going to build human habitations on Mars before we accurately measure viewership, Offenberg said.
Its just not possible.
Anything that they came up with was going to be fine.
Were going to build human habitations on Mars before we accurately measure viewership.
Its just not possible.
But what about Amazon?
Deadline asked SAG-AFTRA for clarification, but the guild has yet to respond.
I would definitely hope for that, Crabtree-Ireland told Deadline of plans for future negotiations.
That could happen in a variety of ways.
SOLVING FOR SUITS
Still, this new deal wont reward all success.
As streamers have grown using libraries of acquired content, the money paid to creatives has tanked.
Case in point:Suits.
Sometimes the value is the platform.
In this case, the winner is the platform.
And the guilds arent alone.
Much of Hollywood is pushing for more information about how certain titles are performing on streaming.
We cant make choices for our clients when we dont really understand this, one agent said.
Thats why I think the data point is huge.
I think that this is more than anything a play for data transparency, he said.
This was a way to negotiate to get them to hand over some data.
Its not perfect … but theyre getting data.
