SAG-AFTRA Strike: Here’s What Isn’t Affected By Actors’ Work Stoppage

Topline

Screen actors’ union SAG-AFTRA went on strike starting at midnight Thursday, a major work stoppage that will shut down the majority of the remaining film and television production in the U.S.—but while the strike is expected to hit most scripted programming hard, there are still a number of projects that actors will still be allowed to work on while other productions are shut down.

SAG-AFTRA leadership hold a press conference to announce that actors are going on strike at the … [+] SAG-AFTRA Plaza in Los Angeles on July 13.

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Key Facts

The SAG-AFTRA strike specifically concerns any work performed under the union’s TV and theatrical contracts, meaning actors can’t work on any major feature films or scripted television—whether on network, cable or streaming services—or promote any of their film or television projects that fall under those contracts.

The theatrical/TV contracts are separate from SAG-AFTRA’s Network Television Code, which covers unscripted television on television or digital media—meaning talk shows, variety shows, reality competition shows, game shows, award shows and documentaries (unless they’re being released theatrically) are all still free to continue, as well as soap operas.

Actors can also still work on commercials (including sponsored content from influencers), sound recordings, music videos, video games, corporate/educational content, broadcast news, television animation and audiobooks, according to official SAG-AFTRA guidance.

Podcasts that operate under SAG-AFTRA contracts are also still free to continue, as are “micro-budget” independent films and student films.

Independent producers who aren’t part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group SAG-AFTRA is striking against, can apply for interim agreements that still allow their projects to take place, the union said.

SAG-AFTRA also has separate basic cable agreements with specific channels that won’t be affected by the strike.

Surprising Fact

HBO’s House of the Dragon will also continue filming amid the strike, Variety reports. The SAG-AFTRA strike extends to members of the union who are working on SAG contracts outside of the U.S.—like if an American television show is filming in a different country—but most of the actors on House of the Dragon are U.K. actors who are working through Equity, the actors’ union in the U.K. Due to British labor laws, Equity actors are not allowed to strike in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and must still work during the strike.

Tangent

Also unaffected by the strike are live theatre performances, because stage acting is done through the union Actors’ Equity, not SAG-AFTRA. That means screen actors are still free to perform in Broadway shows during the strike.

What To Watch For

One of the first major impacts the SAG-AFTRA strike will have is on San Diego Comic Con, which is scheduled to take place July 21-23. Actors will not be able to appear in any panel discussions in which they discuss their projects covered under the contracts at issue, though Vanity Fair notes they will be able to appear in panels where they don’t speak about current projects. The strike is also expected to impact the Emmy Awards, currently set for September, as even though award shows are covered under a separate contract, actors would still be barred from doing any work promoting the projects they’re nominated for. Variety reported prior to the strike that the Television Academy and Fox, which airs the awards, are debating when the awards ceremony should take place, whether in November or January.

Key Background

SAG-AFTRA formally announced it was going on strike Thursday after the union’s contract with the AMPTP expired without a deal. The strike, like the Writers Guild of America strike that’s already been ongoing since May, is primarily centered around securing stronger protections around AI for actors, as well as residual payments for work on streaming platforms. This marks the first time that both actors and writers’ unions have been on strike since 1960. SAG-AFTRA members authorized a vote with 97.91% support in June, and while the AMPTP has defended its negotiations with the union—saying it presented them with a deal that included “historic pay increases” and a “groundbreaking AI proposal,” among other protections—the union said Thursday the strike was an “instrument of last resort” after the AMPTP failed to address actors’ concerns. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said at a press conference Thursday. “I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us.”