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EXCLUSIVE: On Monday, Channel 4 will detail its biggest round of layoffs in 15 years.

The UK’s producer trade body and actors union have called on the government to rejoin the AI debate and consider legislation before it is too late.

UPDATED with Equity statement, 3.28am PT: Equity has now issued a short statement on the strikes. In a post on X, the union said: “We’re pleased to hear that our sister union SAG-AFTRA has approved a tentative agreement with the AMPTP and that the strike has been suspended. Solidarity with all who stood strong during this action and we wish SAG-AFTRAthe best as they deliberate the contents of this deal.”

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and his wife Veronika have welcomed a baby boy!

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here with your weekly dose of the biggest headlines, analysis and deep-dives of the week. Read on, and sign up here.

Broadcasting union Bectu has waded into the U.S. labor dispute with an open letter to the AMPTP, urging it to financially support UK crew who are “suffering hardship” and to “resume negotiations” with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

K.J. Yossman The U.K. TV industry delivered a total sector revenue of almost £4 billion ($5 billion) in 2022.

John McVay, the boss of the UK TV producer trade body, has ignited a war of words with the British actors union as the pair prepare to thrash out a new deal that could be influenced by events Stateside.

The UK TV production sector grew rapidly in 2022 to a near-£4B ($5B) high, but Pact boss John McVay has forecast a “tough” full-year 2023 and “shaky” 2024.

Pact Hires International Boss From UK Government

K.J. Yossman Bitpix TV and Myco have partnered on a feature film development fund. Open to filmmakers worldwide, the fund, which was launched on Friday at Cannes, aims to support three films a year each with a budget of up to $2 million per feature. Bitpix TV is the official streaming arm of HollyShorts Film Festival while Myco is a decentralized content ecosystem. A number of short-form genre films will be showcased on Myco’s streaming platform where viewers can vote on their favorites, which will be selected for feature film development with the fund’s help. Among the package of help available is funding, consulting, mentorship, and production support from finance and production company Goldfinch.

Netflix will have invested almost $6BN in UK content over four years by the end of 2023, the streamer has revealed.

The British film and TV industry breathed a collective sigh of relief today after the government signalled its intention to scrap a planned $1.2B sale of Channel 4, one of the crown jewels of UK broadcasting.

UK broadcasters and streamers have “not been understanding or tried to help with costs” since the recession started biting, according to nearly half of UK producer respondents to a Pact survey, with indies reporting costs rocketing by 10% to 20%.

Following almost a year of intense negotiation, UK indie trade body Pact and broadcasting union Bectu have cleared the path for a new UK TV Drama Agreement to be struck with the union’s members finally voting in favor.

Another extension has been agreed between Pact and Bectu for the pair’s UK TV Drama Agreement, with the saga now looking set to rumble on for almost a year.

EXCLUSIVE: New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng are preparing to unveil the government’s plan to tackle the worst cost-of-living crisis for decades, and the TV industry is not immune.

Sky is giving £1,000 ($1,148) to 70% of its UK and Ireland staff over the winter to ease the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis, amounting to around £20M ($23M), Deadline understands.

The UK TV boom that brought you the likes of Netflix’s The Crown may be slowing, with producer trade body Pact’s latest Census showing the lowest level of international TV revenue since 2017 and streamer spend dropping by £50M ($57.7M).

K.J. Yossman Negotiations between U.K. crew union Bectu and producers’ body Pact over high end TV terms have deteriorated further.The current agreement runs out on Sept.

The likelihood of a Pact/Bectu deal over scripted crew working conditions has just dipped dramatically with UK trade body Pact publishing new recommended term and conditions for when the deal with Bectu elapses on September 1.

EXCLUSIVE: A last-ditch attempt to convince the UK’s Culture Department (DCMS) to extend the £500M ($680M) insurance backstop beyond April 30 has been taking place behind the scenes this week, led by major broadcaster and indie groups, with Pact CEO John McVay warning productions may have to shut down when the backstop ends.

EXCLUSIVE: The UK government is “monitoring what further action is needed” to help commercial insurers return to market and provide commercially viable rates when the £500M ($680M) Film & TV Production Restart Scheme ends on April 30.

Two new reports from leading UK producer group Pact show the stark impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK independent production sector, with the group’s CEO John McVay warning that “it may take many years for the industry to build back to where it was prior to the pandemic”.

Hello International Insiders, hope you’re getting into the Christmas spirit. Tom Grater here delivering a sack full of attention-grabbing headlines from this week of film and TV news.

The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB) has revealed the winners of it 2020 PGGB Innovation Awards, in association with Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, which recognise production professionals who have navigated new ways of working to keep UK film and TV production moving forward during lockdown.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K.’s public service broadcasters, such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, have upped their game when it comes to dealing with inequality and diversity issues within the industry, says John McVay, chief executive of producers’ body PACT.McVay was providing evidence at a U.K. Parliamentary committee hearing on diversity in TV, which is part of a series of debates on the future of public service broadcasting in the country.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe U.K.’s film and TV production restart scheme won’t be open to applications until it’s secured State Aid approval from the European Union — a process that’s still ongoing, with no clear end date in sight.“I was hoping it would be several weeks ago, I hope it’s tomorrow, but I just don’t know,” John McVay, CEO of U.K.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe U.K.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorBritish TV and film producers are fighting to secure insurance payouts running to “many many millions” of pounds after the coronavirus pandemic shut down shoots.Pact CEO John McVay revealed that he is working to help producers with more than 500 claims lodged when the lockdown was introduced in March, and has been in regular discussions with insurers and brokers in recent weeks over payouts.“I wasn’t much of an expert on production insurance a few weeks ago,

As the U.K.’s film and TV industry looks to restart, a crucial 10-day consultation period is underway on production guidelines that are now circulating across the industry. (Excerpts of the guidelines are published below.)

By Andreas Wiseman