Netflix’s Larry Tanz warns of consequences if streamers hit by more levies
Netflix’s Larry Tanz has issued a warning to international territories that impose levies and investment demands on streamers, arguing his company should not be “penalised” for putting large sums into local production.
Tanz, VP of content for EMEA, made the remarks in a wide-ranging address at the Enders TMT Leaders Live 2026 event in London today.
The exec also highlighted Netflix’s strategy of making multi-billion-dollar investments in local production hubs worldwide, which he said had yielded a string of hit series, such as Adolesence and Baby Reindeer in the UK, Marseilles and Lupin in France, Poland’s Heweliusz and Cable Girls in Spain.
However, Tanz bristled when it came to the subject of territories enforcing levies on global streaming platforms or demanding that SVoDs re-invest certain percentages of revenue in their host countries.
He hinted that such measures might force Netflix to rethink its commissioning and production plans in those regions.
Tanz told delegates: “The risk now is that ever-more rigid, prescriptive obligations start to dictate not just how much we invest, but what we make and through whom we make it – regardless of whether those intermediaries are truly small independents or production companies actually owned by global conglomerates.
“If we go too far down that path, you end up with a system where companies like ours are required to funnel money through specific structures into shows audiences may not actually want to watch – instead of backing the projects, partners and stories with the best chance of succeeding.”
Referring to Netflix’s continued investments in European markets, Tanz said: “What we are asking for, in return, is not a free pass. It is a regulatory environment that rewards this kind of behaviour, instead of accidentally penalising it.”
Tanz singled out the UK market for praise, after the government last summer rejected calls for a 5% levy on streamers. He was less complimentary about France, which in 2021 introduced a 20% levy on the annual turnover of US streamers to invest in the French TV and film industry.
Tanz said: “Let’s not sleepwalk into a world where legacy definitions and incremental investment obligations distort our ability to take risks and innovate – a world that, in some respects, already exists in countries like France, where ever-higher obligations and restrictions are getting harder to sustain, without any clear evidence that audiences are better served.
“Increasingly, we hear other places in Europe looking to that model as if it offered all the answers. We do not share that view. The UK has thrived because there have been many routes to market and real choice for creators – and that is what we should be trying to preserve.”
Tanz also defended the streamer against accusations that it prevents prodcos from owning their own IP. He claimed Netflix’s approach to such negotiations has evolved and warned any future regulations around IP ownership could backfire.
“If the regulatory direction of travel were towards a one-size-fits-all approach, where IP always defaults to local producers by law, regardless of who is actually taking the risk, consequences would be significant,” he said.
“We’d be discouraged from commissioning ambitious original local stories and taking chances on new voices. We’d be pushed to smaller licensing deals for library and recycled formats. It would mean fewer risks taken and fewer new voices heard.”
