Netflix has thoughts on AI and regulation, Larry Tanz, vp of content for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Netflix, told the Enders TMT Leaders Live conference in London on Thursday.
Highlighting the streamer’s investment in the British film and TV industry, Tanz said that Netflix has filmed in 225-plus cities and towns across the U.K. since 2016. “We’re additive to that local industry… no black box.”
Concluded Tanz: “We do not accept the argument that Netflix is simply passing through. We are part of the industry.”
The rise of user-, and increasingly AI-generated, programming and possible regulations focused around AI and investment themes pose potential risks, he argued, suggesting that regulation may one day “dictate not just how much we invest but what we make.”
Netflix “would be discouraged from taking risks on new and emerging voices in the case of “one-size-fits-all regulation,” Tanz warned. That could funnel all opportunities to “big media groups,” he argued. “Let’s not sleepwalk” into such a future, he concluded.
“The U.K. has thrived because of many routes to market” that benefits various producers, including smaller local producers, he offered.
Tanz’s comments came after Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, at SXSW London 2026 on Monday, supported U.K. political calls for global streamers to contribute to supporting the U.K. production sector, given the content they create in the country. Last year, a parliamentary committee recommended a levy of 5 percent of U.K. subscriber revenue on foreign streamers, including Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Disney+, to help finance British drama production. Netflix rejected that, saying that the goal should be to “incentivize rather than penalize investment and success.”
Argued Knight: “The issue for me is: They come here, they make big blockbuster productions,” which is “great” for job creation in the British sector. “But they keep all profits. I just feel there’s a conversation to be had. It’s not [a] tax. it’s a two-way street.”
He suggested that streamers could therefore “leave” a certain percentage of money in country to help keep its production infrastructure and success alive and well. “If you’re going to come and take advantage of what we have, then maybe financially there is a 1 percent, 2 percent, something that is left behind that helps us to maintain” that, Knight said. He didn’t specify if that should be a percentage of revenue or profits.
Tanz concluded his conference appearance on Thursday that regulation should be drawn up without “accidentally penalizing” entrepreneurship and opportunities.”
On AI, he touted Netflix’s belief in copyright protections and consent on digital replicas. “We are exploring where AI can help, but doing so cautiously.”
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