Streamers Team Up to Lobby D.C., But Skeptics Say They Want to Head off Regulation

A new streaming lobby group, which formed one day before the Writers Guild of America officially ended their 148-day strike, says it is looking to have a collective voice in Washington, D.C. and distinguish itself from big-tech companies. But critics believe it’s preparing for a fight against future government regulation.

While the new Streaming Innovation Alliance (SIA), which includes Netflix, Disney and Max, says the timing with the WGA was coincidental, the move also came two months after the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance a bill aimed at protecting children from dangerous or extremist online content, including on streaming services — a law individual streamers have lobbied against.

The SIA, which is spearheaded by Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin, and advised by former U.S. Rep. Fred Upton and former Acting Federal Communications Commission chair Mignon Clyburn, plans to advocate for federal and state policies that “build on the strong, competitive, and pro-consumer market for streaming video.”

But not everyone is convinced the group’s efforts will be beneficial. Evan Shapiro, a media professor at New York University and Fordham University, told TheWrap that the SIA is “meant to keep regulation at bay, with little actual thought to the consumers they say they serve.”

Jeffrey Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, contends that the streaming alliance’s creation is a “tacit admission that its members and the streaming industry are engaged in practices that require regulation and legislation.”

The major streamers have lobbied individually before — Netflix has spent $720,000 on lobbying in 2023 and the Walt Disney Company has spent $2.69 million, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets. But the SIA marks the first time the companies have banded together as a group to focus on streaming-specific issues and separate from social media and tech companies, some of which are under active scrutiny in Washington.

Last month, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia began considering arguments that Google illegally abused its power over online search to squelch competition. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon, accusing the company of engaging in illegal conduct that “stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing.”

“The [streaming] industry is concerned that they’re going to get lumped in with social media, cable TV, broadcast TV and other tech legislation that is unfavorable to their financial futures,” David Offenberg, an associate professor of finance at Loyola Marymount University told TheWrap.

An SIA spokesperson told TheWrap that while the group has identified proposals that it believes are harmful or outdated, it is not pursuing deregulation.

“Streaming is thriving and healthy, and everyone who cares about it has a strong interest in keeping that going,” the spokesperson said. “This is about making sure that the regulatory and legal environment that streaming is going to continue to operate in allows for the flexibility required for these services to continue to grow and experiment, which benefits everyone.”

Local news and kids online safety

In July, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to push forward the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Critics of the bill, including the SIA, have argued that its language is too broad, adding that streamers already distribute vetted content and are being unnecessarily lumped in with social media platforms.

Individually, Netflix and Disney have lobbied against KOSA, as has Warner Bros Discovery, which has spent a total of $1.32 million on lobbying in 2023; NBCUniversal parent Comcast, which has spent $6.9 million; and National Amusements, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, which has spent $2.64 million, according to OpenSecrets.

“These companies know kids are a key target, including for FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels, and don’t want any obstacle to dim their monetization plans,” Chester said. “At the core of it is gather our data, create and deliver targeted ads and marketing, and fritter away the promise of streaming video programming quality in search of more revenues from viewers, retailers and brands.”

Since KOSA’s initial introduction in 2022, lawmakers have proposed various amendments, though those efforts have been criticized for not going far enough to address its issues, including concerns that it could be weaponized for potential censorship. A date has not been set for when the full Senate will take up the legislation.

The SIA also comes amidst a push by the Coalition for Local News to close a Federal Communications Commission loophole that enables national networks to negotiate directly with streaming services.

The group, which formed in July, argues that local TV stations are currently being cut out of the process and are asking for virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs) like Fubo and YouTube TV to be reclassified and held to the same standards as multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) like DirecTV.

The dispute has already prompted a Congressional hearing by the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee entitled “Lights, Camera, Subscriptions: State of the Video Marketplace,” which featured testimony from National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt, and Fubo CEO David Gandler. At the time, Gandler argued that such a move would increase costs, which would in turn be passed on to consumers.

A CLN spokesperson told TheWrap that the SIA’s formation “appears to be another act from big tech to claim modernized regulations will harm consumers.” The coalition notes that more than 2,500 newspapers have closed since 2005, which it blames on tech companies monopolizing ad dollars and distributing news content without providing fair compensation.

“The solution is simple: revisit the rules so that local news can thrive in the streaming era – a solution that a leader of this new alliance has publicly supported,” the spokesperson said, referring to previous comments from Clyburn.

The benefits for streamers

Though it’s too early to tell how impactful the SIA will be, Hub Entertainment Research founder Jonathan Giegengack is hopeful the group could help the federal government better differentiate its regulatory approach between streamers and social video platforms like TikTok.

“The government can be slow to appreciate the nuances of technology they’re regulating,” Giegengack told TheWrap. “This alliance can inform them about why a one-size-fits-all approach to regulating [streaming services] doesn’t make sense and might inadvertently harm the value and experience for consumers.”

The SIA’s members include major streamers like Netflix, Disney, Max, Discovery+, Paramount+, Peacock, BET+, TelevisaUnivision, Telemundo and Pluto TV. It also includes the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and smaller independent streamers such as ViX, ForUsByUs Network, Vault and Afroland.tv. (The SIA notably does not include Tubi, Roku or big tech-owned services like Prime Video, Apple TV+ or YouTube TV, but the SIA spokesperson said the organization is open to welcoming new members.)

“The unified challenge facing these streamers is the pressures on customer acquisition, retention, and profitability,” Iliya Rybchin, a partner at London-based consulting firm Elixxir, told TheWrap. “Any regulatory speedbumps can be catastrophic, especially for the smaller players.”

While acknowledging the group offers “clear benefits” for streamers, Rybchin cautioned that occupying the middle ground between other lobbying organizations could “create unnecessary conflict, exclude [the SIA] from critical debates, and complicate even the most basic issues.”

“Even with the collection of powerful streamers, one can argue their power still pales in comparison to the combination of Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon,” he said. “Success will depend on navigating around the other adjacent lobbying groups and reconciling misaligned interests.”

The next battle for creatives?

The SIA’s formation coincided with the Writers’ Guild of America reaching a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. On Monday, the WGA ratified that agreement with a 99% majority. Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA, which began its own strike on July 14, has resumed negotiations with the AMPTP.

Both unions have been fighting for better pay and working conditions, residuals tied to streaming viewership and protections against artificial intelligence. They have also expressed concerns about the growing market power of the streaming companies.

“I see the need for [SAG-AFTRA] because we need to fight tooth and nail for every scrap that we get. But I just don’t see the necessity for a coalition of billion dollar corporations,” voiceover artist Jon Luke Thomas told TheWrap on the picket line when asked about the SIA.

“This Streaming Innovation Alliance is all about promoting further deregulation from these companies,” Larry Teng, a producer and director whose credits include “Nancy Drew,” “Supergirl” and “Jessica Jones,” wrote in a Sept. 28 post on X. “Study up folks. This will be the next battle in 2026.”

Representatives for SAG-AFTRA and the WGA declined to comment on the SIA.

Sharon Knolle contributed to this report

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