Mandy Moore, known for her role in the hit TV series “This Is Us,” joined hundreds of actors on the picket lines as part of the SAG-AFTRA strike against Hollywood’s streamers and studios. One of the key issues being protested is the lack of fair streaming residuals.
During her time on “This Is Us,” Moore received checks ranging from a penny to 81 cents for the show’s streaming deal with Hulu. These small amounts highlighted the larger issue of inadequate residual payments. Moore expressed her concerns, stating that many actors rely on residuals to sustain themselves, especially during periods when they are not working on high-paying projects. She pointed out that the residual model has drastically changed, and actors can no longer depend on re-airings of their shows to provide a consistent income.
Katie Lowes, another actor who participated in the strike, shared her own experience with streaming residuals. She revealed that she hadn’t received anything substantial from Disney for “Scandal’s” streaming deals with Netflix and Hulu. Lowes emphasized that the current model no longer supports actors who have worked on successful shows in the past. The shift towards streaming platforms has disrupted the traditional residual system, making it difficult for actors to earn a living from their past work.
The strike, organized by SAG-AFTRA, aims to address this issue by proposing a new media revenue sharing model. The union’s proposal suggests that actors should receive a share of the revenue generated when their performances are exhibited on streaming platforms. This would allow actors to benefit from the success of high-performing shows. However, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing streamers and studios including Apple and Disney, rejected this proposal, refusing to address streaming residuals for working actors.
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While actors still receive residuals from their shows re-airing on broadcast networks, the landscape of television has significantly changed. Broadcast networks now focus primarily on year-round originals, including lower-cost unscripted programs, instead of airing repeats of scripted episodes. This shift has led to a decreased availability of repeats on broadcast networks, making streaming residuals even more crucial for actors. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Disney do not provide traditional viewership data, which further complicates matters. Both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have raised issues regarding transparency in streaming.
Mandy Moore and Katie Lowes, who both belong to the same acting group, are actively participating in the strike. Lowes, known for her role on “Scandal,” spent seven seasons on the show while Moore appeared as a guest star on the final season of “This Is Us.” Moore has been a SAG-AFTRA member since 1999, while Lowes joined in 2004.
In summary, the SAG-AFTRA strike has brought attention to the issue of inadequate streaming residuals for actors. Mandy Moore and Katie Lowes, along with hundreds of other actors, are fighting for fair compensation for their work on popular shows that are streamed on platforms like Hulu and Netflix. The strike aims to address the changing landscape of television and the need for actors to receive their fair share of revenue from streaming platforms.
