One of the most successful and critically acclaimed television series of the last 20 years was “Breaking Bad,” a show that starred Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.
In the ongoing double strike in Hollywood with the writers and actors taking on the media companies, it was revealed that Paul didn’t receive compensation from a streaming giant for the show’s success.
What Happened: Streaming giant Netflix Inc NFLX ended the second quarter with 238.39 million global paid subscribers, making it one of the biggest streaming companies in the world.
The company acquired content from other media companies and launched many original shows and movies to boost its large library of content.
One of the acquired shows that aired on Netflix for years was “Breaking Bad.” Netflix began airing the show after its third season and ahead of its fourth season.
The series came from Sony Group Corp SONY and aired on AMC, a unit of AMC Networks Inc AMCX, with five seasons over the course of the show's history.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Paul said he made $0 from “Breaking Bad” streaming on Netflix.
“I don’t get a piece from Netflix on ‘Breaking Bad,' if we’re being totally honest, and that’s insane to me,” Paul said, as reported by Huffington Post.
Paul was on the picket line in front of Sony Pictures Entertainment Studios in California when he made the statement. The actor said it was time for streaming services and media companies to pay fair wages.
“Shows live forever on these streamers, and it goes through waves. I think a lot of these streamers, they know that they have been getting away with not paying people a fair wage, and now it’s time to pony up.”
Paul said he was optimistic about a resolution being reached.
“I think so, yeah, because we’re not going anywhere. So, they got to do something.”
Related Link: Double Strike In Hollywood: Actors And Writers Unite In Work Stoppage
Why It’s Important: Since July, the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been united in a work stoppage that has been impacting the television and movie industries. This marked the first double strike from actors and writers in over six decades.
“Breaking Bad” saw a huge boost in viewership thanks to its inclusion on Netflix ahead of its fourth season. Series creator Vince Gilligan previously credited the streaming giant with increasing the popularity of the show.
“I think Netflix kept us on the air,” Gilligan previously said.
Gilligan said without Netflix, “Breaking Bad” might not have made it five seasons.
While Netflix may have boosted the show’s popularity, the report from Paul could also show Netflix and/or Sony didn’t properly compensate the stars of the series.
As previously reported by Benzinga, streaming companies are changing the way that television series are made. Streaming companies look for a series to have eight to 10 episodes per season, instead of the old days of 20 or more in a season.
In 2007, when writers went on strike, compensation from DVDs was among the big topics.
This strike has compensation from streaming companies as one of the biggest topics. Another big topic is the impact of artificial intelligence and platforms like ChatGPT could have on writing scripts for series and movies.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is among the key media executives who met recently with leaders from the Writers Guild of America, a conversation that didn’t go well according to reports.
With more people watching shows and movies on streaming networks in recent years, calls for compensation by actors and writers seem warranted. The fact that Paul had not seen one penny for “Breaking Bad” on Netflix might explain exactly why the strikes are happening in the first place.
NFLX Price Action: Netflix shares are up 2.11% at $449.14 Tuesday at publication versus a 52-week trading range of $211.73 to $485. Shares of Netflix are up 53% year-to-date in 2023 and up over 100% in the last 52 weeks.
Read Next: 5 Stocks To Keep An Eye On As WGA Strike Could Bring Hollywood To A Halt
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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