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December 4, 2008 5:21:49 PM CST

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Worries Rising Over Looming Actors' Strike

Posted Mar 13, 08 7:48 PM CDT in Business,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – The chances of Hollywood actors going on strike when their contract expires in June are about 50-50, an industry analyst said today. If they walk, it could hurt television networks more than writers' recent 100-day walkout, the Hollywood Reporter says. Studios are still reeling from the WGA strike and can't afford the hit, said the credit analyst from Standard & Poor's.

"A focus on talk and game shows would cause additional ratings loss," said the analyst, predicting that even more viewers would ditch TV for YouTube and similar venues. Worried networks are already putting off production, and some of Hollywood's biggest stars—including George Clooney, Robert de Niro, and Tom Hanks—are calling for actors' unions to kick off early negotiations, the BBC notes.

Sources Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood Reporter

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In this file photo, actors Sonja Sohn, left, and Jeffrey Pratt Gordon, center, talk with screenwriter Rafael Alvarez on a WGA picket line.   (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
In this file photo from the WGA strike, a placard wonders where the world would be without writers.   (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Writer Steve Byrnes walks past a mural depicting legendary Hollywood actors as he joins the WGA picket line in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
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