AI concerns cause QVC hosts to unionize

Hosts for the home shopping network QVC voted to unionize in a National Labor Relations Board election, paving the way, reports The Hollywood Reporter, for the presenters to join SAG-AFTRA.

During the election, reports THR, “37 hosts voted to join the national performers’ union while nine voted against, resulting in about 80 percent support. All full-time and part-time QVC and HSN hosts employed at the company’s West Chester, Pennsylvania headquarters, working across linear television as well as livestream and shortform programming, were eligible to participate.

“The organizing drive was fueled by concerns around generative AI, as THR previously reported. SAG-AFTRA said the presenters were concerned about their images, voices and likenesses being deployed without consent or compensation. The hosts also sought greater job protections, pay and promotion standards transparency and a voice on the job.”

“We believe we should have meaningful input into our role in the network’s future, and that this is best accomplished through a formal collective-bargaining process,” the hosts said in a petition delivered to management earlier in the summer.

Changes may be on the horizon for workers at QVC, states THR. “In April, the company that owns the retail programming company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That development followed layoffs of 900 employees in 2025 as the company shifted to focusing on live shopping on social platforms and streaming in a shift away from its declining business on linear television.”

IMAGE: QVC