SAG extends commercials contract

With the SAG in a stalemate with the majors over its feature-primetime contract, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists have opted for a six-month extension of their commercials contract until March 31.

SAG and AFTRA, which plan to negotiate jointly on the ad deal, made the disclosure Wednesday in a brief joint announcement with the ad industry.

It’s the second extension of the pact, which had been set to expire Oct. 29. The unions and the ad industry agreed in 2006 to a two-year extension of the contract in order to allow Booz Allen Hamilton to conduct an independent study about changing revenue models in the ad biz due to the impact of new media.

The announcement did not include any indication of when negotiations will start, but it’s unlikely that SAG will be ready to begin talks until it resolves its feature-primetime deal.

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