AMPTP
Hollywood trade body negotiating AI rights and union contracts for major studios.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Will the Tilly Tax force studios to treat AI actors like real ones?
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- What is the AMPTP?
- The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is a US trade body representing around 350 studios and streaming platforms. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements with Hollywood's major unions, including SAG-AFTRA, the WGA, the DGA, and IATSE, and holds near-total authority on the employer side.Source: AMPTP
- What is the Tilly Tax the AMPTP is being asked to accept?
- The Tilly Tax is a royalty on AI-generated performers that SAG-AFTRA is seeking in 2026 AMPTP contract talks. It would make synthetic actors cost the same or more than real ones, removing the cost incentive to replace human performers, with revenue going to union healthcare and pension funds.Source: SAG-AFTRA
- Did the AMPTP resolve AI rights after the 2023 strikes?
- Not fully. The 2023 strikes ended with interim agreements on AI digital replicas and residuals, but the core question of royalties on AI-generated performers remained unresolved, which is why SAG-AFTRA is pushing the Tilly Tax in the 2026 contract cycle.Source: SAG-AFTRA
- How does AMPTP negotiating power compare to individual studios?
- AMPTP holds near-total bargaining authority; studios including Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, and Amazon negotiate collectively through it rather than separately. This gives the bloc significant leverage but also means a breakdown affects all members simultaneously.Source: AMPTP
Background
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, founded in 1982, is the US trade body representing roughly 350 studios, broadcasters, and streaming platforms in collective bargaining. Its membership spans legacy studios including Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, and Sony, alongside streaming giants Amazon and Netflix. The AMPTP holds near-total negotiating authority on the employer side; individual studios do not bargain separately. It negotiates with four major unions: SAG-AFTRA, the WGA, the DGA, and IATSE.
In 2026, the AMPTP is in a new contract cycle with SAG-AFTRA, centred on AI performers rights. The union is pushing a "Tilly Tax" royalty on AI-generated performers, designed to make synthetic actors cost the same or more than real ones, with proceeds directed to union healthcare and pension funds. The proposal carries forward the unresolved AI licensing framework from the 2023 strikes .
The AMPTP's stance on AI defines the future of creative labour at scale. If the Tilly Tax succeeds, studios face a structural cost floor on synthetic casting that preserves union leverage. If the AMPTP resists, a second strike becomes plausible. The outcome will set precedent globally, as streaming platforms' appetite for cheaper synthetic content outpaces existing regulation.