Barry Diller, a longtime media potentate and former boss of Fox, Paramount, and Universal, has called on media companies to “get out of the room” with tech giants and instead focus on resolving the ongoing writers and actors strikes. Diller specifically mentioned Netflix, Apple, and Amazon Prime as companies that media companies should distance themselves from, stating that they are in different businesses that have no business model relative to the production of movies and television.
Diller made these comments during an interview on the podcast “On with Kara Swisher,” where he spoke about various topics including his support for Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie and his efforts to rein in tech companies’ use of artificial intelligence in the publishing arena.
Regarding Apple and Amazon, Diller said that he believes they do not belong in the same room as producers. He suggested that producers should negotiate directly with tech giants, emphasizing their historical alliance and the fact that they have been in business together for over a hundred years.
Diller’s comments are in line with recent reports of internal dissent within the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which is finding it difficult to synchronize its negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) due to their differing objectives and business models. This disconnect has added complexity to resolving the ongoing strikes.
Diller has previously stated that Netflix has “won” the streaming race and attributes the company’s success to its disruption of traditional Hollywood models. He believes that Netflix’s rise has led other companies to lose significant amounts of money in an attempt to compete in the streaming space. He went on to call Netflix “the architects of a strike,” highlighting that the strike ultimately strengthens Netflix and weakens its competitors.
Despite his recent focus on digital ventures, Diller also expressed his support for broadcast television during the podcast interview. He suggested that media companies should reorient themselves and capitalize on their already established television networks, rather than treating them as outdated relics. He encouraged companies to invest in their networks and use their creativity to build them back up.
It remains to be seen how media companies will respond to Diller’s call to distance themselves from tech giants and focus on resolving the ongoing strikes. With the strike weakening traditional players and strengthening streaming services like Netflix, the industry faces a complex and challenging landscape ahead.