One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Directors Guild Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios And Streamers
The Directors Guild of America offices in Manhattan. DGA officials announced a tentative deal had been reached with producers and streamers.
(
Warren Eisenberg
/
Getty Images
)
The Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios and streamers over a new three-year labor contract, as the writers strike has entered its second month.
The union's negotiating committee announced Saturday night that it had struck a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). DGA leaders said they had made gains on wages and streaming residuals while adding protections for its members against technology like artificial intelligence.
“We have concluded a truly historic deal,” said Jon Avnet, chair of the DGA’s Negotiations Committee in a statement, which went on to say:
“It provides significant improvements for every Director, Assistant Director, Unit Production Manager, Associate Director and Stage Manager in our Guild. In these negotiations we made advances on wages, streaming residuals, safety, creative rights and diversity, as well as securing essential protections for our members on new key issues like artificial intelligence — ensuring DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances. This deal would not have been possible without the unity of the DGA membership, and we are grateful for the strong support of union members across the industry.”
Contract details from the DGA
- Wages and benefits: A 5% increase in the first year of the contract, 4% in the second year and 3.5% in the third year. Additional 0.5% to fund a new parental leave benefit.
- Global streaming residuals: Substantial increase in the residuals for dramatic programs made for SVOD by securing a new residual structure to pay foreign residuals. The result is a 76% increase in foreign residuals for the largest platforms so that residuals for a one-hour episode will now be roughly $90,000 for the first three exhibition years.
- Artificial intelligence: Agreement confirming that AI is not a person and that generative AI cannot replace the duties performed by members.
- Non-dramatic programs: Established the industry’s first-ever terms and conditions for Directors and their teams on non-dramatic (Variety and Reality) programs made for SVOD. Improved residuals and for the first time, Associate Directors and Stage Managers will now share in the residuals.
- High budget AVOD terms and conditions: Achieved the industry’s first-ever terms, creative rights protections, working conditions and residuals for scripted dramatic projects made for free to the consumer streaming services such as Freevee, Tubi and Roku. Unit Production Managers and Assistant Directors will share in the residuals.
- Feature directors: Historic first-time compensation for the months of “soft prep” Feature Directors currently perform for free prior to the start of the Director’s official prep period.
- Episodic directors: For Pay TV and SVOD, Episodic Directors won expanded paid post-production creative rights; and gained an additional guaranteed shoot day for one-hour programs – the first additional day added in more than 40 years.
- Reduction in hours: Unprecedented reduction in the length of the Assistant Director’s day by one hour.
- Safety: Achieved concrete safety advancements including the first-ever pilot program to require the employment of dedicated safety supervisors; expanded safety training programs for both Directors and their teams, and the ban of live ammunition on set.
What's next
Directors Guild of America offices in Los Angeles.
(
cineman69/Getty Images
/
iStock Editorial
)
A ratification vote is scheduled for Tuesday. Meanwhile, a strike by the Writers Guild of America over their labor contract with streamers and producers has entered its second month.
Sponsored message
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
