The Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced in a joint statement on Tuesday that they will enter contract negotiations on February 10.
This meeting marks the beginning of a months-long series of talks between the AMPTP, who represents Hollywood’s top studios, and the entertainment industry’s largest guilds. The DGA has typically entered talks before SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, who usually enter talks with the AMPTP in the spring and summer.
This year’s talks come as several of the studios represented by the AMPTP plan to start their own streaming services, content for which will be shaped by the new contracts that determine how Hollywood’s labor is compensated for their work. The DGA’s existing contract, which was ratified in 2017 and expires on June 30, was notable for increasing residual payments for streaming projects released for services like Netflix and Hulu, and last year SAG-AFTRA made a separate contract with Netflix that is expected to have an influence on this year’s talks.
The DGA negotiation committee will be led by Jon Avnet and Todd Holland, who were appointed co-chairs last year. Both sides have declined to provide further comment.