Canadian actor Seth Rogen has spoken of the personal unease he feels regarding the secretive nature of streaming services and the fact viewing figures for the shows they host are carefully guarded.
Rogen voiced his personal distress over the lack of transparency surrounding the success of shows and movies produced for platforms such at Netflix and Hulu.
He said that the secrecy implied such services were withholding significant profits from show creators.
‘I’m personally distressed by not having any sense of how successful these shows and movies we make for streaming services are,’ said Rogen during an interview on the green carpet with Variety.
‘The secretiveness only makes me think that they’re making way more money off of all of us than they want to share with anybody. These executives are making insane salaries that you would only make if you are running an incredibly profitable business.’
Actor and filmmaker Seth Rogen has said he’s ‘distressed’ over the lack of transparency regarding the success of shows and movies made for streamers
Rogan’s candid nature was particularly brave given that he was promoting his new show, Platonic, which appears on streaming service AppleTV+.
The filmmaker also pointed out the exorbitant salaries earned by executives, which he said in turn raises questions about fair compensation and profit sharing.
The pay of Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix jumped 31.5 percent in 2022, to $50.3 million, comprising $20 million base annual salary, $28.5 million in stock options and $1.79 million in other compensation.
At Apple, CEO Tim Cook’s target total compensation is $49 million for 2023, with a $3 million salary, $6 million cash incentive and $40 million in equity awards.
Over at Amazon CEO Andy Jassy saw his 2022 compensation plummet in 2022, with a massive stock award he received in 2021 making up the backbone of his long-term Amazon renumeration.
The pay of Ted Sarandos, left, the CEO of Netflix jumped 31.5 percent in 2022, to $50.3 million
Amazon’s Andy Jassy, left, was paid $1.3 million in 2022, compared to $212 million in 2021 which was tied to his promotion to CEO of the company. Walt Disney is paying returning CEO Bob Iger, right about $27 million annually under a new two-year deal
A host of streaming services now offer cut-price subscriptions with advertising breaks
Amazon’s Andy Jassy was paid $1.3 million in 2022, compared to $212 million in 2021 which was tied to his promotion to CEO of the company.
Walt Disney is paying returning CEO Bob Iger about $27 million annually under a new two-year deal.
Earlier this week Iger said Disney would make Hulu content available within the Disney+ platform by the end of the year.
All major streaming services are under increasing pressure to keep customers as the cost of living crisis hits and the pandemic boom fades.
Disney+ is also facing competition from Netflix, which has launched an ad-supported tier.
Rogan also praised labor unions for their ability to hold giant corporations accountable and ensure fair treatment of workers referring to the current writers strike.
‘Thank God for these labor unions and their ability to force these gigantic corporations who banded together to drive down the wages of workers to actually do something every once in a while and act fairly and equitably,’ said Rogen.
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen are seen at the premiere of Platonic held at Regal LA Live
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) called for the strike on May 1 after the Guild failed to reach an agreement with higher pay from Hollywood studios such as Netflix and Disney.
The studios have said they made a ‘generous’ offer to boost compensation.
Late-night talk shows immediately went dark, and some TV series and movies have followed. The final season of Netflix hit Stranger Things was paused. Marvel movie Blade, starring Mahershala Ali, shut down just before filming was set to start.
Production has also been halted on a number of programs including Abbott Elementary, Yellowjackets, and Big Mouth.
It is unclear how long the strike will last. No new talks have been scheduled between the Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group negotiating on behalf of studios.
