The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Nickelodeon Animation Studios Inc. have reached a tentative agreement on terms for a new contract.
The three-year agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Nickelodeon Animation will go before the union’s national board for ratification.
The agreement covers animated programming for Nickelodeon’s basic cable and Paramount Plus. This includes shows such as “Rugrats,” “Dora the Explorer,” “The Loud House,” “Patrick Star Show,” “Kamp Koral,” “Rock Paper Scissors” and others.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, thanked the negotiating committee in a statement for its “dedication to their colleagues who provide their voice artistry to Nickelodeon’s programming.”
AI protections given
Crabtree-Ireland added that he was “especially pleased that Nickelodeon agreed to commonsense AI protections for voice actors.”
David Jolliffe, chair of the negotiating committee, said that he was “thrilled that productive bargaining has resulted in a very strong contract for voice actors that includes A.I. guideline enhancements that protect voice performers.
“There’s much to celebrate about this deal, and we look forward to sending it to the Board for review,” Jolliffe said in a statement.
The contract’s AI protections encompass specific language acknowledging that the term “voice actors” includes only humans and addresses the importance of having human voice acting.
The contract also stated the removal of the requirement a digital replica must exclusively sound like the recognizable natural voice of an actor to be protected. It also covered language specifying that “independently created digital replicas” need only sound like the “character voice” from which the replica was created.
Other highlights of the contract include: pay increases worth over $3.25 million dollars in instant gains for members; increased clip use, interstitial and promo tags payments; and payment due date moved up to five business days.
