Streamers launch first official trade group

The world's biggest streaming companies are coming together to launch the industry's first coalition, the Streaming Innovation Alliance (SIA). The streaming industry has faced few regulatory threats over the past decade, but that's changing as more television consumption moves to digital. The new group is led by two former policymakers acting as senior advisers: former Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) and former Democratic Federal Communications Commission Acting Chair Mignon Clyburn [a member of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Board of Directors]. The group is comprised of the biggest streaming companies in the world, including Netflix, Paramount+, Warner Bros. Discovery's Max, Comcast's Peacock, Disney, TelevisaUnivision and Univision's ViX, as well as smaller, niche streamers, such as ForUsByUs Network, Vault and Afroland.tv. As regulators consider new laws for the digital era, streamers focused on premium content want to ensure they're not being held to the same legal standards as user-generated content platforms, like TikTok or Meta. The companies also want to ensure their collective power is harnessed when the industry faces new regulatory threats.