SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract Payment Structure

An interactive educational digital flip book on the payment structure for SAG-AFTRA's Commercials Contract. Last updated 26 January 2026

The 2025-2028 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract Payment Structure

Updated 26 January 2026

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Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………….. Maximum Period of Use (MPU).................................... Types of Use................................................................. Linear ..................................................................... Digital ..................................................................... Other ...................................................................... Social Media / YouTube Waiver.............................. Traditional Digital.................................................... Traditional Digital + Paid YouTube.......................... Streaming............................................................... Cycle Lengths…........................................................... 8 10 16 18 19 20 22 24 26 30 32

Use Types and Cycle Lengths ..................................... Free Bargaining............................................................. Other Payment Terms................................................... Condensed Rate Sheets............................................... Class A Payments......................................................... ION and Diginet Payments..................................... Social Media / YouTube Waiver Payments................... Moving Social Media / YouTube to Other Platforms ......... Contact Information...................................................... Glossary of Terms ........................................................ How to use this book....................................................

34 38 40 42 46 48 50 54 57 58 68

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Introduction to Payment Structure

In 2022, SAG-AFTRA and the JPC negotiated a new payment structure for the Commercials Contract. While we no longer refer to the payment structure as “new” we know that some of these terms and concepts are still new to our members and commercials community. We hope this book will help clarify the most frequently asked questions and more.

Maximum Period of Use (MPU)

The Maximum Period of Use (MPU) is the period of time during which a commercial may be used.

The MPU is 24-months and is the same for every performer in the commercial.

24 -months

The MPU begins 10 business days from the first day of principal photography.

Business days from the first day of principal photography

Please note: rehearsals and wardrobe fittings do not trigger the MPU

The MPU should be stated on the performer’s first Use or holding fee paycheck.

business day Session payment check: Payroll companies are required to include the as the beginning of the MPU on the first paycheck 10th

example 1

There are new names for different Use types for Let’s think of the Use types as belonging to certain commercials. buckets.

Types of Use

Linear

Other

Linear

Types Of Use

Class A

Dealer

ION and Diginet

All Other N. America (Class B, Class C, Unwired)

Wild Spot (includes Spanish)

Cable (includes Spanish)

Local Cable

Spanish Program

previously known as “TV” or “Broadcast”

Types Of Use

(Unpaid)

Traditional Digital

Traditional Digital + Paid YouTube

Streaming

Gaming & Emerging Platforms

Social Media / YouTube Waiver

AR (Augmented Reality)

VR (Virtual Reality)

Other

Types Of Use

Foreign Use

Theatrical/Industrial

Social Media / YouTube Waiver

Social Media / YouTube Waiver includes:

Social Media and / or UNPAID YouTube

(Please see page 41 for rates and payment terms.)

Please note: Employers must notify talent in the breakdown and at the audition that the Social Media / YouTube Waiver will apply.

YouTube is a registered trademark.

Traditional Digital

Traditional Digital includes:

Everything that is included under Social Media / Unpaid YouTube Waiver

Brand websites, retailer websites, third-party websites and all other types of Use on YouTube.

Company Website

Search Engine etc .

Please note: The platforms are included, but the Social Media/YouTube Waiver 30-day cycle terms do not apply.

The Wall Street Journal , BuzzFeed, YouTube and The New York Times are registered trademarks.

Digital Use Types

Traditional Digital + Paid YouTube

Traditional Digital + paid YouTube includes:

Everything that is included under Traditional Digital

Paid YouTube

What is the difference between unpaid and paid YouTube Use?

Unpaid

Paid Examples are pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll, where media time is purchased to show a commercial.

An example of unpaid YouTube would be a brand’s YouTube channel.

Streaming

Streaming includes:

Everything that is included under Traditional Digital + paid YouTube

All Streaming Services and Gaming

Cycle Lengths

Other

30 days

4 week

13 week

1 year

Use Type

Class A

✔

ION

✔

Diginets

✔

Social Media/ YouTube Waiver

✔

(Unpaid)

Cable

✔ ✔ ✔

30-day cycle rates are available when:

Wild Spot

✔ ✔ ✔

1) the spot is ORIGINALLY produced under the Social Media / YouTube Waiver and

Spanish Language

✔ ✔ ✔

Traditional Digital +unpaid YouTube

✔ ✔ ✔

2) this is sole Use for the spot

Traditional Digital + paid YouTube

✔ ✔ ✔

Streaming

✔ ✔ ✔

types

Use Cycle +

lengths

Production can combine different Use

types

with different cycle lengths

Cable for 4-weeks and Wild Spot for 13-weeks in the same cycle. For example production could purchase

Wild Spot

Cable

3 weeks 1

weeks

Traditional Digital for 1-year and Cable for 4-weeks Or production could purchase

Traditional Digital

Cable

4 weeks

year

Free Bargaining

Emerging Platforms, Gaming Platforms, VR/AR

These platforms do not currently have a standard minimum rate.

Use

Edits

Exclusivity

Session Fee is paid but Use, Edits and Exclusivity are EACH freely bargained.

Other Payment Terms

Worldwide Exhibition

Theatrical/ Industrial Use 30 days or -Month MPU* 24

Foreign Use 24 -Month MPU*

*Maximum Period of Use

Condensed Rate Sheets

On-Camera Principals:

Session Rate = $822.30 Use Length

Use Type

4-week

13-week

1-year

Traditional Digital + Unpaid YouTube Traditional Digital + Paid YouTube

$735 $784

$1,165.50 $1,243.20

$3,570 $3,808 $10,000

Streaming Platforms

$1,300

$3,000

Social Media Use- $123.35 (per 30-day cycles) YouTube Use - $123.35 (per 30-day cycles) Freely bargained for Use, Edits and Exclusivity

Social Media / YouTube Waiver

Gaming Platforms

Pay per use applying Class A table: $20k max per 13-week cycle.

Class A

Diginets and Ion

$30.80 per use or $5,250 per 13-week cycle

Spanish-Language Program Use

$1,050

$3,150 $2,100 $1,155 $4,100

$10,500 $7,560 $4,200 $13,500 $3,000 $6,000 $9,000 $6,510 $7,210.12

Wild Spot (ALL MARKETS)

$840 $840

Wild Spot (excluding LA, NY & Chicago)

National Cable

$1,500 $801.12

Local Cable: Single Network With Exceptions Local Cable (Subscribers): Up to 1mil Local Cable (Subscribers): 1mil - 2mil Local Cable (Subscribers): 2mil - 3mil

$2,189.74

$300 $600 $900 $735

$800

$1,600 $2,400 $1,680

Dealer

All Other North America (Class B, Class C, Unwired Network)

$341.25

$1,050

$3,675

Theatrical / Industrial

Up to 30 days use - $822.30 Addt’l use after 30th day up to 21-months = $493.38 Distribution on physical media = $2,631.36

Foreign Use (Multiple of Session)

Off-Camera Principals:

Session Rate = $618.30

Use Length

Use Type

4-week

13-week

1-year

Traditional Digital + unpaid YouTube Traditional Digital + paid YouTube

$551.25

$874.13 $932.40 $2,250

$2,677.50

$588 $975

$2,856 $7,500

Streaming Platforms

Social Media Use- $92.75 (per 30-day cycles) YouTube Use - $92.75 (per 30-day cycles) Freely bargained for Use, Edits and Exclusivity

Social Media / YouTube Waiver Gaming and Emerging Platforms

Pay per use applying Class A table: $20k max per 13-week cycle.

Class A

Diginets and Ion

$23.05 per use or $3,937.50 per 13-week cycle

Spanish-Language Program Use

$787.50

$2,362.50

$7,875 $5,670 $3,150 $10,125 $2,250 $4,500 $6,750 $5,407.59 $4,882.50

Wild Spot (ALL Markets)

$630 $630

$1,575 $866.25 $3,075

Wild Spot (Excluding LA, NY & Chicago)

National Cable

$1,125 $600.84

Local Cable: Single Network with exceptions Local Cable (Subscribers): Up to 1mil Local Cable (Subscribers): 1mil - 2mil Local Cable (Subscribers): 2mil - 3mil

$1,642.31

$225 $450 $675

$600

$1,200 $1,800 $1,260

Dealer

$551.25

All Other North America (Class B, Class C, Unwired Network)

$255.94

$787.50

$2,756.25

Theatrical / Industrial

Up to 30 days use - $618.30 Addt’l use after 30th day up to 21-months = $370.98 Distribution on physical media = $1,978.56

Foreign Use (Multiple of Session)

For the full rate sheet, including group rates, demo, tags, travel time and more, click here .

Class A Payments

Class A

$20,000 max per 13-week cycle for OCP (On-Camera Principal) $15,000 max per 13-week cycle for Off-Camera There are flat rate caps for Class A or Please note: The flat rate caps are only available to authorizers and signatory advertisers and ad agencies.

ION and Diginet Payments

Diginet

ION

$30.80 per Use $5,250 per 13-week cycle or

This an upfront payment, NOT a cap.

Social Media / YouTube Waiver Payment

Social Media / YouTube Waiver Payment The Social Media / YouTube provision is only available in 30-day Use periods.

Session Session fee =

Use 15% of session rate per spot = 30 days on social media.

Unlimited commercials may be shot in one day

15% of session rate per spot = 30 days on YouTube.

(Unpaid)

1 year .

The MPU (Maximum Period of Use) for Social Media / YouTube is

Please note: There is NO EXCLUSIVITY under the Social Media / YouTube Waiver Terms

When a spot is originally produced under Social Media / YouTube Waiver and this is the sole Use for the spot, then the 30-day cycle rates are available.

If the spot was originally produced for any other Use category , then Social Media / YouTube Waiver rates and 30-day cycle ARE NOT AVAILABLE. The spot is paid under Traditional Digital.

to another type Use Social Media / YouTube Moving

To move a spot that was originally produced under the Social Media / YouTube Waiver to any other Use, terms then producers must meet the following requirements:

Consent Must get performer consent to avoid exclusivity conflicts

Session Must pay principal session fee to move the spot over 1

Use Must pay the Use fee for each type of Use

For more information check out the Commercials Department other flipbooks: ❏ Holding Fees & Maximum Period of Use (MPU) ❏ Editing

Questions?

Visit sagaftra.org/commercials for more information. Email the SAG-AFTRA Commercials Department at comm.coedinfo@sagaftra.org

L.A. Commercials Department 323.549.6858 N.Y. Commercials Department 212.827.1454

Glossary of Terms

Addressable The advertiser’s ability to create multiple changes to a commercial to target specific individual households. Based on data being collected, advertisers will then have the ability to customize commercials which will then be dynamically inserted at the level of the individual household.

Applied Crediting of either the session or holding fee against the first use of the commercial in a cycle. For example, if the first use in the second 13-week cycle is Class A and the Use totals $1,712.00, the producer is allowed to deduct (apply) the holding fee of $822.30 toward the use and issue payment to the performer for the difference ($889.70). Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of SAG-AFTRA is the simulation of human intelligence in machines, specifically those programmed to learn and think like humans. AI is categorized into two types "digital replicas" and "generative AI".

Advertiser A business that sells or markets a product or service through advertising.

All Other North American Use A type of payment that covers use on ITN/Unwired Networks, Class B and Class C. Use is paid in 4-week/13-week/52-week cycles.

Ad-ID An industry standard for identifying commercials across all media platforms.

Glossary of Terms

A-C

Authorizer The term for any member of the JPC (Joint Policy Committee)

B-Roll The secondary cameras that are rolling during commercial production, capturing Behind-the-Scenes footage. This type of work falls under the Corporate-Educational Contract and performers are entitled to a Category II session payment under the CoEd Contract which covers initial use for up to three years. Cable Similar to their broadcast cousins, cable networks can be national in scope. But rather than have local

Cable (continued) affiliates that broadcast their signal in major markets, cable networks form partnerships with satellite and cable providers to carry their network and pay for the privilege. Use is paid in 4-week/13-week/52-week cycles. CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) A collective bargaining agreement (CBA), also known as a union contract, is a written legal contract between an employer and a union representing employees. (cont.)

AVOD (Advertising Based Video On Demand)

A model viewers are “paying for” with their eyeballs – it includes free content funded by advertisements. Much like in broadcast television, the revenue comes 100% from selling ads on videos. Some examples of AVOD platforms are YouTube, Roku, Pluto TV, or Dailymotion.

Glossary of Terms

C-D

Contribution Rate Producers contribute a percentage of all gross compensation paid on behalf of performers to the Pension & Health plans/Health & Retirements plans and IACF/AICF. For the 2022 Commercials Contract, the contribution rate is 19.95% for JPC authorizers and 23.5% for direct signatories. Connected Shoot Full-Budget and Low-Budget Digital Commercials that are shot during the same production but on separate work days.

CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) (continued) This agreement results from an extensive negotiation process covering essential topics such as

Digital Subchannel Any broadcast signal of a television station below its primary signal (secondary signal). Also referred to as Diginets. CourtTV/Cozi/Bounce are examples of Diginets. Cycle Consecutive weekly periods of use of a commercial. Diginet Use A type of use. Performers are paid in 13-week cycles of either $30.80 per use, or an upfront fee of $5,250.00 for OCP (On-Camera Performers) per cycle for unlimited Use on Diginet stations.

wages, work hours and employment conditions.

Class A Pay-per-use system, also referenced as a “national commercial” because it airs across the country during the same time slot and television show on broadcast television or in syndication. The maximum use in any 13-week cycle is $20,000.00 for on-camera performers and $15,000.00 for off-camera performers

Glossary of Terms

D-F

Downgrade When a principal performer’s face does not appear in the final edit of the commercial. The performer is entitled

Extra A performer who appears in a commercial and whose performance does not meet the criteria under Section 6 as a principal performer.

Dealer A type of use paid in 4-week/13-week/52-week cycle. Generally commercials made and paid for by a national advertiser and distributed to their dealers. Principal performers are paid Dealer Use when the commercial is shipped out, regardless of use. Digital Replica Computer program made in whole or in part using the voice, image and/or performance of Performer that can independently generate new performances not previously rendered by Performer.

to a downgrade fee, equal to a session fee, but will not be paid use fees.

Foreign Use A type of use that allows a producer to use a commercial in various geographic regions around the world outside of the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Exclusivity Agreement by a principal performer to not appear in commercials for product(s) or service(s) that compete/conflict. Exclusivity is guaranteed by the payment of a holding fee.

Glossary of Terms

G-M

Gaming Platforms/Virtual World/Augmented Reality/Emerging Platforms All use and editing fees may be freely bargained under this use type but performers are paid a session fee. Generative A.I. A subset of artificial intelligence that learns patterns from data and produces content based on those patterns. Hold Term used when a performer and/or their agent is asked to “hold” a specific date. The performer is definitely engaged and entitled to a session fee for the day(s) they are placed on hold.

Local Cable Commercials that are produced for broadcast on free television and which are subsequently transmitted on local cable systems, provided the service provider does not exceed 3,000,000 subscribers for basic service; is not delivered by satellite; and for the three major markets (NY/LA/CH), the commercial must run concurrent with a wild spot buy. MPU (Maximum Period of Use) The 24-month period of time a commercial may be used by producer/signatory without renegotiating.

Holding Fee An amount paid to a principal performer every 13 weeks in exchange for his/her exclusivity to the product/service being advertised.

Linear Use Includes the following: Class A Wild Spot (including Spanish) Cable (including Spanish) Local Cable Dealer ION Diginet Spanish Program All Other N. America (Class B, Class C, Unwired)

Glossary of Terms

N-P

Off-Camera Performer A principal performer who does not appear on screen, but narrates the commercial. Also referred to as Voice-Over performers and/or Singers. OTT (Over-the-Top) / Streaming Media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the types of companies which

Outgrade When a principal performer’s

OCP (On-Camera Principal) A performer who meets the criteria defined under the collective bargaining agreement. Stunt performers, Clowns in proprietary make-up, Specialty Dancers, Puppeteers and Pilots are National A term used by casting directors and employers in describing anticipated use. This is not a term that appears in the Commercials Contract. It usually references a Class A spot.

photography or sound track is edited out of a commercial. Principals must be informed in writing of the outgrade and are released from exclusivity. They are no longer entitled to use payments, and are free to audition for competitive work.

PSA (Public Service Announcement)

traditionally act as controllers or distributors of such content. Netflix and Hulu are examples of OTT service providers.

PSAs are commercials that generally contain a message that the public benefits from. If a PSA meets certain requirements, the producer may request a waiver of use fees from the union.

included in the term of principal performers.

Glossary of Terms

S-T

Signatory A company that has signed the Commercials Contract (or any contract) binding it to the terms of the agreement. The term “producer” is

Social Media Technology that facilitates the creation and sharing of ideas and information via virtual communities. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are examples of social media.

Streaming Use A type of use payment for platforms like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Peacock, Paramount Plus, YouTube TV and all digital (Traditional Digital, Gaming, Platforms/Virtual Worlds/Augmented Reality/Emerging Platforms) would fall under this use type. Synthetic Performer A digitally-created asset that 1) is intended to and does create, the clear impression that the asset is an identifiable, but not recognizable, human performer and 2) is not voiced by a human performer and 3) is not a Digital Replica.

also used interchangeably with “signator/signatory/authorizer.”

Social Media/YouTube Waiver The spot must be originally produced as a social media/YouTube spot. The Use is only available in 30-day cycles up to one year and there is no exclusivity.

Session Fee The amount paid to a performer for their day(s) of work on a commercial

Spanish Language Program A type of use for when spots run on Spanish language channels. Use is paid in 4-week/13-week/52-week cycles.

Glossary of Terms

T-U

Tags A short announcement at the beginning, middle or end of a

Traditional Digital Principal Performers would be entitled to compensation if their commercial aired on Social Media sites, YouTube, brand websites, retailer websites, third-party websites, etc.

Unconnected Shoot A production where only a Low Budget Digital commercial is being shot.

commercial that advises the consumer where a product or service is available. (i.e. “Visit your Southern California Honda Dealer for details”, or “Estee Lauder. Now available at Macy's”)

Unwired Network Unwired Networks are established and managed by media companies for the purpose of distributing commercials on a broad geographic scale, usually nationwide, at a lower cost than the major broadcast networks. This is paid as a part of All Other North America use.

Traditional Digital + Paid YouTube

Theatrical / Industrial Under the Commercials Contract, Use of a commercial in taxicabs, jumbotrons, gas stations, to name a few. Commercial Use on videocassette, laser disc, DVD, CD or like formats that are given, sold or rented to the public also fall into this category. Use is worldwide.

Principal performers are compensated a higher rate when their commercial is used on Traditional Digital as well as in paid media on YouTube such as pre-roll and mid-roll.

Glossary of Terms

U-Z

Use vs use We have capitalized “Use” when referring to the run of commercials. Lower case “use” is the traditional definition of the word.

Wild Spot A commercial used on non-interconnected stations, independent of a specific program. Use is paid in 4-week/13-week/ 52-week cycles.

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