A share of the revenue streaming services make from subscription fees should be paid into a fund to support British high-end TV production, an influential group of MPs has said.
In a new report, the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee urged the government to improve support measures for producers while safeguarding the creation of distinctly British content.
The report noted how “vital” dramas, such as Adolescence, are to the country’s “identity, national conversations and talent pipeline”, which they say is now “under threat”.
It is “time for streamers to put their money where their mouth is”, the report read, suggesting that streaming companies pay “5% of their UK subscriber revenue into a cultural fund to help finance drama with a specific interest to British audiences”.
Big tech firms must be held to account, Paul Fleming, general secretary of Equity, said. “AI is being built illegally by stealing Equity members’ life’s works,” he said.
The cross-party committee recommended the government and British Film Institute (BFI) should launch a national awareness campaign, highlighting the employment opportunities offered by film and high-end TV and “the range of skills the industry requires”
It stressed how the industry benefits hugely from the flexibility afforded by a predominantly freelance workforce, and therefore more should be done to support freelancers when they are out of work.
Source link
