Streaming giants have become the focus of both media and public glare as Hollywood actors and writers continue their joint strike.
The demonstration, which kicked off last week and has brought large studios to a standstill, primarily centres on writers’ opposition to potential replacement of their work with AI tools within the industry and demand for better wages. Meanwhile, actors are calling out exploitative practices at digital entertainment firms such as Netflix and Amazon.
The walkout, being dubbed as the biggest in over six decades backed by performers and screenwriters, has been endorsed by a list of industry’s most prominent faces, who are actively encouraging fellow entertainers to join the picket line.
The demonstration, led by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union, aims to strike at the heart of streaming giants’ business models and emerging artificial intelligence tools threatening screenwriters and their jobs. Besides stagnating production at major studios, the strike has impacted promotional activities and is likely to hit award functions and other events in the coming days.
The strike was originally started by screenwriters in May over low wages, challenging work conditions, and, most importantly, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in content creation. The strained affair gained momentum when actors stepped forward to highlight unfair business practices that have come about with the rise of streaming services, including a decline in earnings and royalties.
The union has called for transparency in data regarding content viewership from studios and suggested relying on metrics from Parrot Analytics, which is a third-party data firm. The studios, however, have been reluctant to share viewership data with the union. The writers are also advocating for regulations concerning the use of AI within the industry.
The actors, on the other hand, demand compensation for any use of their AI-generated replicas and prevention against unauthorised images, according to a report by Variety. The arrival of advanced AI tools have heavily altered and affected the workings in the entertainment industry, posing “existential threat to creative professions”.
The concerns being raised at the strike regarding the business models of leading streaming services, including Netflix, mirror the exploitative practices of Big Tech platforms such as Google and Meta. As the compensation framework for artists and performers at digital studios shrink, Big Tech continues to usurp profits generated by content from both established and emerging media ventures that rely on their platforms for revenue and sustainability.
The strike also uncovers the deeper issue surrounding the dominance of large digital corporations, which hinders alternatives for consumers and restricts their ability to receive fair compensation for their utilised potential. Be it artistic labour for streaming giants or original content uploaded to social media platforms, influential tech firms monopolising the market often get away with their manipulative practices, leaving consumers with the least desirable or no other options at all.
In the case of the strike, however, it has yet to be seen whether major studios and streaming companies agree to the union’s demands, as, according to reports, if the demonstration turns prolonged, it will have severe consequences for the business at large and those part of it.
