Global Production Bodies Unite to Ask Governments to Ensure Streamers Invest More in Local Content

variety.com:

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent A group of 20 prominent screen trade organizations have united to ask governments around the world to enact regulations ensuring that global streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ invest more resources in local content.

The joint plea — hailing from production bodies in Europe, Canada, Australasia and Latin America — comes as streaming services have scaled down on acquiring and commissioning local content across many markets within the last year in order to ramp up profitability. “Together we represent thousands of screen industry businesses and share a commitment to securing regulation from our respective governments that will ensure that our industry continues to both be sustainable and maintains our nation’s cultural sovereignty,” the joint statement reads.

The unprecedented statement is signed by a host of European production bodies, including the European Producers’ Club that represents top independent film and TV drama producers across continental Europe; Italy’s TV producers’ association APA; Spain’s Asociación de productoras de Cine Independiente; the Canadian Media Producers Association; the Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers in Latin America; and the Screen Production and Development Association in New Zealand, among other orgs.

The principles outlined in the org’s joint statement cut to the core of the battle being waged in Europe to change the rules of engagement with streamers as countries implement the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS), which forces foreign streaming services to invest a portion of their revenue into local productions but leaves the modalities of this obligation to each individual country.