EXCLUSIVE : The topic of how the major streamers pay talent has been one of the dominant conversations in Hollywood over the past few months. Netflix is holding an event for top agents and managers where it will likely be discussed as the streamer is understood to be reevaluating how it structures its deals going forward. We hear that reps for WME, CAA and UTA as well as a number of the large management companies are heading to a breakfast event – titled Netflix Explained – at the Tudum Theater tomorrow morning.
Billed as an event aimed at providing talent representatives with better understanding how Netflix operates, agents and managers are expecting information about more transparency on how the streamer pays their talent. While the subject of streaming pay models is not officially on the agenda for the presentation, which we understand will be given by Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee and Olivia De Carlo, who is Director of Title Merchandising, sources tell Deadline that it will be brought up. Essentially, the streamer is considering a new way to pay talent, rewarding them for creating hits, rather than relying on the cost-plus model that sees stars, including top directors, get paid a big number upfront with little back-end.
One of the considerations that could be on the table is Netflix asking top talent to reduce their fees by between 20-30%, in exchange for giving them twice that amount on the back-end if the show or movie is .