Agents and Indie Producers Argue Incentives Alone Won’t Fix Hollywood’s Ills

Hollywood agencies and independent producers are campaigning for legislation that would require streaming platforms to source at least half their original programmes from independent producers and limit licensing terms. They argue that ownership rules could revive secondary markets and give creators more opportunity to profit, addressing industry concentration as well as the loss of US production work.

The coalition includes WME, CAA, UTA, Imagine Entertainment and Legendary, and hopes to advance its proposal in 2027. Supporters say streamers now order 30–40% fewer hours of programming than a few years ago, while the platforms’ alliance calls the proposed mandates harmful to production and creative risk-taking. The campaign draws on the 1970s “fin-syn” rules, which restricted TV networks’ ownership of shows and syndication rights.