Netflix is Officially a Member of the MPAA
Hours after it was revealed that a Netflix film had been nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, it was announced that Netflix was becoming a member of the Motion Picture Association of America. This makes Netflix the first streamer and first non-studio to join the ranks of the MPAA and is no small feat. Reportedly, Netflix and the MPAA had been in discussions for months leading up to the announcement. MPAA chairman Charles Rivkin made the following statement:
“On behalf of the MPAA and its member companies, I am delighted to welcome Netflix as a partner. All of our members are committed to pushing the film and television industry forward, in both how we tell stories and how we reach audiences. Adding Netflix will allow us to even more effectively advocate for the global community of creative storytellers, and I look forward to seeing what we can all achieve together.”
The other members of the MPAA currently include Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. However, with Disney acquiring Fox in what seems to be a matter of months, Netflix’s addition keeps the number of members the same and should help cushion the loss of membership dues from Fox. Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said the following:
“Joining the Motion Picture Association further exemplifies our commitment to ensuring the vibrancy of these creative industries and the many talented people who work in them all over the world. We look forward to supporting the association team and their important efforts.”
There are rumors that the MPAA is looking to add more members as well (my money’s on Amazon and Hulu). Maybe Netflix was just to test how people reacted to adding a streaming service. What do you think of the addition of Netflix to the MPAA?
Via: THR