Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube have formed a new policy coalition to lobby Washington on behalf of streaming services, including on live sports. The Streaming Access and Choice Alliance (SACA) launched on 14 September, with the three companies as founding members.
TechNet, a trade group that represents large technology companies, leads the coalition. Axios first reported the launch.
What the coalition wants
According to TechNet, SACA will push for “technology-neutral policies” that let streaming services invest in many kinds of programming, including live sports. It will also advocate for wider consumer access to content and for consumer choice.
Mike Ward, TechNet’s senior vice president of federal policy and government relations, will lead the group. He said in the announcement:
“Americans want more content choices and flexibility in how and where they watch their favorite programming, including sports and other live events. Streaming and digital entertainment companies offer audiences better features and value for their money. The industry and its customers deserve a dedicated voice in Washington, D.C., advocating for policies that enable innovation and address the needs of today’s consumers.”
The coalition’s website lists four policy positions. SACA says it supports:
- forward-looking policies that promote competition and consumer value
- technology-neutral frameworks that let competition, viewing trends, and innovation decide access
- policies that let streaming platforms keep investing in all programming, including live sports
- an environment where sports leagues and rights holders can pursue distribution deals
The numbers SACA cites
The website says 99% of US households have at least one streaming service, and the average American has three. More than 90% of households have broadband, it says, while 36% pay for cable or satellite TV. About 15% rely only on a digital antenna.
It also says sports content on major global subscription streaming services has grown 52% since January 2024. The site lists five citations for these figures but does not name the sources on the page.
The sports rights inquiry
The launch follows government scrutiny of sports leagues moving their rights to streaming, Axios reported. Earlier this year, the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission opened an inquiry into the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
That law lets leagues pool their TV rights and sell them together. The inquiry is looking at whether it should be revisited, according to Axios.
FCC chair Brendan Carr has questioned whether that antitrust exemption is sending too many sports rights to paywalled streaming services, Axios reported. The NFL believed Fox Corp. was behind a pressure campaign on the issue, Axios previously reported.
Why the streamers are organising again
Netflix, Amazon, and Google, YouTube’s parent, were all members of the Internet Association. That trade group dissolved in late 2021, when its members’ interests had become too spread out, according to Axios.
Netflix joined the Motion Picture Association the same year. The MPA represents the film interests of studios including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Paramount. It does not lobby for streamers’ policy goals specifically unless they match those of its member studios, Axios reported.
Streamers have formed issue-specific coalitions before. In 2023, Netflix, Paramount+, HBO Max, Peacock, Disney, and others launched the Streaming Innovation Alliance. That group pushed back against local broadcasters, who had asked the FCC to close a regulatory gap. The broadcasters argued the gap put their distribution on streaming services at risk.
Other policy pressure on the founders
Two of the founding members face separate regulatory and legal matters. Florida has sued Netflix, alleging that it built its advertising business on families’ data. In Europe, YouTube raised Premium prices with a deadline for subscribers to opt in.
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