All The Streaming Services Are Banding Together
With the actors’ and writers’ strikes continuing, the movements have sent a shockwave through the United States, leading other groups to unionize and fight for their fair share of the pie. Now, streaming services including Netflix, Max, and The Walt Disney Co. are banding together for the future of the business. According to The Hollywood Reporter, these companies are taking things to both the state and federal levels to focus on policy changes that will aid how the industry progresses.
Most of the entertainment industry’s streaming services have gotten together to form the Streaming Innovations Alliance to promote the benefits of streaming and to work against regulation.
It certainly isn’t news that streaming has greatly begun to pose a threat to linear viewing as households around the world ditch their cable packages and pick up different services. So, this coalition of platforms has really been a long time coming with other recognizable names like Discovery+, BET+, Paramount+, Peacock, PlutoTV, For Us by Us Network, AfroLandTV, and more joining what’s come to be known as the Streaming Innovation Alliance.
Today, the alliance released its findings that voters in a recent poll “favor streaming innovation and are wary of proposals to regulate the market.” These market regulations could come as data collection requirements or more boundaries placed on what the platform is allowed to release when it comes to the rating of their content.
Standing at the head of the coalition are former Democratic acting FCC chair, Mignon Clyburn, and Former Republican Rep. Fred Upton with chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, Charles Rivkin helping bridge the gap.
Celebrating the success that streaming services have accomplished over the last almost two decades, Clyburn released a statement giving kudos to the “program diversity” that has come from the shift to streaming.
He went on to say that the services have opened up doors for underserved communities, whether it be through jobs or the content itself. He went on to slam any group that may threaten the growth of this “progress,” asking that the streaming services be protected from any such policy.
[A]ctors have said that oftentimes their residuals from shows such as Orange is the New Black and Gilmore Girls have been incredibly miniscule if even anything at all.
Streamers were thrown into the hot seat by both the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild following disputes that led to both unions striking. Throwing shade at the studios behind the streaming services, actors have said that oftentimes their residuals from shows such as Orange is the New Black and Gilmore Girls have been incredibly miniscule if even anything at all.
Netflix, Disney+, Max, Discovery+, BET+, Paramount+, Peacock, PlutoTV, For Us by Us Network, and AfroLandTV are all part of the Streaming Innovation Alliance.
Meanwhile, both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have ongoing concerns surrounding how those same studios will move forward with the use of artificial intelligence when it comes to writing and performing in future productions.
With streaming dominating the market, the battle for what’s to come with censoring and the ability with which programming targets all demographics will be an interesting one to watch unfold. Flexing their muscles, tycoons like Netflix, Max, Peacock, and Paramount+ will be good names for the rest of the streaming coalition to have on its side.
As change continues to move forward with the writers’ strike hopefully coming to an end, the actors pushing forward on the picket lines, and many other unions seeking their fair cuts from the bosses at the top, streamers add their names to the list of industries hoping for the world to change with them.
