via Mike Shedlock:
The Screen Actors Guild joined the Writers Guild in coordinated strikes. The writers demand protection from Artificial Intelligence.
Actors Join the Writers Guild of America Strike
Bloomberg reports Writers and Actors Strike Together
Actors joined the Writers Guild of America in a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which represents studios including Netflix Inc. and Walt Disney Co., marking the first time in more than 60 years that Hollywood writers and actors struck together.
Writers Guild of America
The WGA has been on strike since May 2 when talks with Hollywood studios fell apart. The union is demanding an increase in base pay and a greater share of earnings from shows that appear on streaming devices, as well as a minimum of six writers and 13 weeks commitment of work for each show, plus monetary benefits that reflect a show’s popularity.
Writers and actors alike are demanding protections against AI, which could be poised to take their jobs. The WGA estimates the strike is costing $30 million a day across the industry.
Screen Actors Guild
Actors have a very similar list of demands, with the added requirement that they be compensated for auditions they record themselves.
The SAG strike has also halted film premieres, awards shows and other events. It also puts reality-TV actors in a bind because although they are not required to join the action they may feel pressured to do so.
Hoot of the Day
The writers guild not only demand protection against AI, they demand a minimum of six writers per show.
If you cannot come up with a better script than a robot, why should anyone pay you?
TV Stats
A quick check of TV Stats shows how much time people waste in front of a TV. On average, it’s about 3 hours a day. That totals to approximately 15 years of the average lifespan. About 80 percent watch some TV every day.
The BBC reports Young Watch Almost Seven Times Less TV Than Over-65s.
16 to 24-year-olds spend just 53 minutes watching TV each day, a two-thirds decrease in the past 10 years.
Meanwhile, those aged 65 and over spend just under six hours on average watching TV daily.
This “generation gap” in viewing habits is wider than ever before, according to Ofcom’s annual Media Nations report.
11 Reasons You Should Stop Watching Television Now
If you are a TV addict, you may wish to consider 11 Reasons You Should Stop Watching Television Now
The last time time TV was turned on in in this house for more than an hour was the midterm election coverage last November. That’s 8 months ago.
On occasion, we have watched major sporting events. I believe we attempted to watch the tail end of the Super Bowl. But given that we subscribe to nothing, I recall struggling to find a way. I had to look just now to see who was even in the game.
Those are the last two times TV was on in this house.
Speaking as someone who watches almost no TV and hasn’t seen a movie for years, I would just assume the strike last forever.