SAG-AFTRA has tapped 7Park Data Media and Entertainment to provide previously unavailable viewership data for titles on leading streaming platforms including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
The performers union announced the partnership Tuesday, two days after its national board launched the process of crafting a proposal for a successor deal to its master contract covering feature film and primetime television. The current contract expires on June 30, 2020.
SAG-AFTRA said it will utilize this data to help negotiate fair contracts with streaming platforms and production studios based on the value of their work, as measured by actual viewing data.
“Because streaming platforms do not make viewership data public, content stakeholders throughout the industry have been challenged to fully comprehend the economic value of streaming media,” said David Viviano, chief economist at SAG-AFTRA. “Our partnership with 7Park Data will provide SAG-AFTRA with valuable insight into global audience behavior and position us to better understand the economics of streaming exhibition.”
SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White added, “Ultimately, the new transparency provided by this partnership enables us to represent the interests of our members with greater clarity in the emerging trends in media. We are excited about this partnership.”
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The SAG-AFTRA national board, meeting last weekend in Los Angeles, approved the establishment of the wages and working conditions committee, and appointed President Gabrielle Carteris as chair — a post that she filled in the 2017 round of negotiations. The committee will hold a series of member meetings in coming months to hammer out details of its contract proposal.
The 7Park Data Media and Entertainment dashboard provides on-demand access to licensed and original content viewership data on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime across more than 50 countries, including share of audience streams by day and month, viewership activity during the first 90 days of launch, demographics, and cross-viewership.
“While viewership data for network and cable has existed for decades, streaming platforms have kept this data mostly secret — which makes it difficult for creators to understand how their content performs and how much it is worth,” said John Sollecito, head of media and entertainment at 7Park Data. “SAG-AFTRA is among the most respected organizations in the entertainment industry and we are excited that they have chosen 7Park Data to help members understand the viewership and value of their own work.”