A coalition of major UK broadcasters and production companies, including All3Media, Banijay UK, BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, have joined forces to oppose government plans that could see UK creative assets automatically used in AI training without permission.
Fremantle, ITN, Sky, Pact, and Radiocentre are also backing the industry-wide push against proposals set out in the government’s AI and Copyright Consultation. Under the suggested reforms, tech companies would be able to train AI models on films, TV shows, and audio recordings without prior consent unless rights holders explicitly opt out—a move that the coalition argues would undermine the UK’s thriving creative sector.
While recognising AI’s potential to drive innovation, the industry leaders are calling for a licensing framework that allows the creative sector to share in the value generated by AI rather than being sidelined. The submission warns that an opt-out system is unworkable and risks jeopardising the UK’s position as a global leader in film and TV production.
The group’s submission stated: “The UK creative sector, and film and TV production in particular, is hugely important for the future of the UK – as a driver of economic growth, a creator of high-skilled jobs and to produce content that we can be rightly proud of as a nation,” the audiovisual coalition said.
Pact chief executive John McVay echoed these concerns, urging the government to listen to UK rights holders who have contributed billions to the economy. “The UK’s position as a global leader in the creative industries has been hard fought for and must not be squandered,” he said.
The submission follows an open letter published in The Times on 25 February, signed by high-profile UK creatives including Dua Lipa, Paul McCartney, Stephen Fry, and Barbara Broccoli. They warn that the proposals ‘’represent a wholesale giveaway of rights and income from the UK creative sectors to big tech’’, further intensifying the growing pressure on the government to rethink its approach.
