About this episode
Kim talks with SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin about the challenges facing Hollywood and the union during a tumultuous year.
This week, Kim talks with SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin about stepping into the job during a tumultuous year for Hollywood. His early tenure has already included an FCC clash involving Jimmy Kimmel , the arrival of synthetic “performers,” and some wonky legal maneuvering from OpenAI . Astin discusses the most pressing issues facing the union as bargaining is underway, including wages and working conditions as well as the challenges posed by AI companies scraping copyrighted material. Plus, David Ellison has unveiled plans to merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming platform. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the proposal – which comes with about $80 billion in debt and the strong likelihood of layoffs – and the familiar promise that “synergies” in tech, ad sales and platforms will do the heavy lifting. They also examine how the shake-up may affect HBO leadership, the uncertain future of CNN, and how Donald Trump’s influence could complicate an already fraught moment for media companies.
People in this episode
Host: Kim Masters
Guest: Sean Astin
Topics covered
- SAG-AFTRA
- Hollywood
- AI challenges
- streaming platforms
- media companies
- wages
- working conditions
Keywords
- SAG-AFTRA
- Sean Astin
- Hollywood
- AI
- Paramount+
- HBO Max
- bargaining
- wages
- working conditions
- media
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: SAG-AFTRA, OpenAI, Paramount+, HBO Max
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