Hollywood moguls make 'final offer' to actors

Hollywood producers said they made a final offer to actors hours before the current labour contract was to expire, but the Screen Actors Guild responded by saying the offer failed to address some key areas.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said the offer was worth more than 250 million US dollars in additional compensation to members of the guild over the three years of the proposed contract.

The current pact was to expire at 12:01am local time, but both sides said they would continue to work under the old contract after the deadline passes.

"In short, our final offer to SAG represents a final hope for avoiding further work stoppages and getting everyone back to work," the alliance said in a statement.

The alliance said film production had been "virtually shut down" because of uncertainty about a deal.

The AMPTP will meet with guild representatives to explain the offer, but will not entertain counterproposals, alliance spokesman Jesse Hiestand said.

The guild said it would prepare a formal response once it analyses the 43-page offer. However, SAG's chief negotiator, executive director Doug Allen, immediately criticised it.

"This offer does not appear to address some key issues important to actors," he said in a statement.