Netflix, Disney+, Max Form Trade Group to Advocate for Streaming
Multi-billion dollar companies like Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global are not exactly helpless when it comes to dealing with regulatory reform. There’s undeniable strength in numbers, however, which is why according to an exclusive Axios report these companies have banded together in a new organization called the Streaming Innovation Alliance (SIA).
The Alliance consists of Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, Max, Paramount+, Peacock, ViX, and several smaller streaming platforms. Apple TV+ and Prime Video are not represented in the SIA yet, nor are free streaming platforms Roku and Tubi, though the group says it is ready to welcome new members at any time.
The group’s main focus will be to use their collective power to advocate for sensible reforms in streaming from the government. One area of concern is ensuring content on streaming services, which is highly curated by the companies themselves, is not subject to the same regulatory standards that social media platforms with user-generated content like TikTok are held to.
The SIA will also do battle with advocacy groups for local broadcasting channels, such as the Coalition for Local News, which was formed this summer to bring public attention to the fact that live TV streaming services and cable providers are regulated differently when it comes to negotiating carriage and retransmission deals. Pay-TV companies have to negotiate with channels directly, whereas a loophole allows live TV services to negotiate directly with networks themselves, which then send potential carriage contracts to the individual channels for approval.
The group is one of the first of its kind and certainly is the first to harness the power of so many of the top streaming platforms available in the United States. It doesn’t share many goals with the Independent Streaming Alliance (ISA), a confederation of smaller services like Redbox, Crackle, Cineverse and Revry which formed in June. That group also plans to advocate for its members publicly, but more in the name of improving diversity in streaming and ensuring a good customer experience, as well as affecting public policy.
The SIA has two former Washington insiders serving as senior advisers: former Democratic Federal Communications Commission (FCC) acting chair Mignon Clyburn, and former Republican Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan. The group has some powerful streaming services at its head, and with these two former policy-makers giving the Alliance advice, it could soon prove to be a highly effective advocacy group that makes causes changes in the entertainment industry.
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