Facing Budget Shortfall, Movie Lobby Group Eyes Tech Firms

Disney’s acquisition of the 20th Century Fox movie studio is causing upheaval throughout Hollywood by combining two of the six major film studios. A casualty is the film industry’s 96-year-old Washington lobbying group, the Motion Picture Association of America, which is losing one-sixth of its membership. And that is crystallizing a long-brewing question about the group’s purpose—including whether the MPAA should try to get tech firms to join.

The MPAA is discussing a makeover to expand its mission and attract new members, such as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, people familiar with the discussions told The Information. But it’s not clear those streaming services would be interested in joining, highlighting a gulf between old and new in the movie industry.