Amazon MGM Studios will soon join the Motion Picture Assn., the lobbying arm of Hollywood’s major studios announced Thursday.
The Seattle-based tech and retail giant — which distributes content via its theatrical arm, Amazon MGM, and its streaming service, Prime Video — will officially become the seventh member of the MPA on Oct. 1. Amazon backed the MPA’s anti-piracy efforts as a board member of the organization’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment.
Amazon is the second tech company, after Netflix, to gain MPA representation, a further sign of Hollywood’s ongoing effort to embrace new ways of reaching audiences — mainly streaming.
The MPA — which has historically advocated for traditional movie factories making features for theatrical release — made waves in 2019 when it added Netflix to its ranks.
In addition to Netflix, the organization currently represents Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“The MPA is the global voice for a growing and evolving industry, and welcoming Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios to our ranks will broaden our collective policymaking and content protection efforts on behalf of our most innovative and creative companies,” Charles Rivkin, chairman and chief executive of the MPA, said in a statement.
“MPA studios fuel local economies, drive job creation, enrich cultures, and bolster communities everywhere they work. With Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios among our roster of extraordinary members, the MPA will have an even larger voice for the world’s greatest storytellers.”
Amazon, which burst onto the movie scene in 2015 with Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq,” is known for releasing titles such as “Manchester by the Sea,” “Challengers,” “American Fiction,” “Saltburn” and “One Night in Miami …”
The company cemented its presence in the motion picture space when it purchased legacy movie and TV studio MGM in 2022. Before the acquisition, MGM was a member of the MPA from 1928 until 2005.
“Amazon’s mission is to entertain customers around the world with compelling film and television,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. “In order to do that, we must support storytellers, while also helping to sustain a robust entertainment industry that works for both studios and our creative partners.”