Everyone can breathe a little easier now as the continuing actors strike against the advertising industry finally draws to a close.
The Hollywood Reporter says that a tentative agreement was reached between the striking actors and the ad industry in New York on Sunday. The breakthrough came after four days of intense bargaining over pay scale on the Internet and basic cable.
Details of the agreement have not been released. But according to the report, the deal will give the two actors unions (the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists) control over Internet-made commercials and a better buyout rate for cable.
The exact terms of the deal will be announced at a press conference today in New York.
The tentative agreement would need to be approved by the boards of directors of SAG and AFTRA and then by the members of both unions.
Later in the week, SAG’s board will vote on the proposed new commercials contract, but it could take up to three weeks to finalize.
First began in April, the 6-month-long SAG and AFTRA strike against the ad industry has become the longest one in Hollywood history. Essentially, the strike broke out over failed contract talks over commercial pay on TV, cable and the Internet where the unions wanted a play-per-pay system while the ad folks insisted on a one-time-only fee.
According to the Reporter, an official close to the talks said that the negotiation council was “almost unanimous” in backing the deal and that SAG President William Daniels was “absolutely” in favor of the agreement.
