Sources: Alphabet, Meta, and OpenAI have talked to Hollywood studios about licensing content for AI video generation tools; Disney and Netflix aren't interested
They just think they can get away with it when they steal from normal people. [embedded post] @causamdicere.bsky.social : How soon before everyone gets cheery “welcome to the Matrix! You're gonna love it here!” videos autoplaying in their insta feeds [embedded post] @rickywlmsbong.bsky.social : looking forward to george clooney as danny ocean telling me to marinate my steak in armor all wipes [embedded post] @coachfinstock.bsky.social : Meta: Hey can we steal your stuff to make rip-offs — Netflix: No — Disney: No — David Zaslav: Tell me more [embedded post] @sababausa.bsky.social : if OpenAI is so sure training data is non-infringing fair use, why are they paying Rupert Murdoch $250 million? 🤔 [embedded post] Tom Lommel / @tomlommel.com : CLICK HERE to generate an Animaniacs episode from data scraped off your Instagram Reels — wheee whooo wheeee [embedded post] J.M. Berger / @intelwire.bsky.social : Aside from all the other million things wrong with this, what is the fucking business plan here? What is the ROI? What economic or social benefit does it create to let everyone make mid videos on Facebook for free? There's like a very narrow niche of local auto dealerships to whom this might appeal. … Ed Zitron / @zitron.bsky.social : cart “so far ahead of horse it is out of sight” [embedded post] X: Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw : News: Alphabet and Meta have been talking to Hollywood studios about licensing their libraries (and data) for AI training. They are offering plenty of $$. No one has done a deal yet, but some are intrigued. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Forums: r/television : Alphabet, Meta Offer Millions to Partner With Hollywood on AI (Warner weighs licensing content; Disney, Netflix say no) See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
The talks place AI video development inside an unresolved rights debate: YouTube's chief had already said that training Sora on YouTube videos would breach the platform's terms, sharpening the distinction between permissioned libraries and material gathered from the web.
No agreement has been completed, but the outreach gives studios a chance to treat back catalogs as negotiable AI inputs. Later coverage of Sora clips featuring well-known copyrighted characters shows why the licensing question matters beyond training access: generated outputs can quickly become a distribution and brand-control issue.
First-order effects
- Alphabet, Meta, and OpenAI gain a potential route to obtain studio material through negotiated licenses rather than relying solely on contested sources; the reported discussions remain preliminary.
- Disney and Netflix’s reported lack of interest keeps two major libraries out of these talks, while other studios can weigh licensing revenue against control of their characters and catalogs.
Second-order effects
- Studios willing to engage can seek stronger terms around permitted uses, output controls, and compensation, while AI vendors may have to assemble rights from a more fragmented set of suppliers.
- The split among rights holders increases pressure on video-model providers to demonstrate that licensed inputs and safeguards can reduce the disputes anticipated in copyright challenges to generative systems.
Third-order effects
- If licensing becomes a repeatable route to market, film and television libraries could become a distinct input market for generative-video products, with rights scope and control over outputs becoming central competitive terms.
- The durability of that market is uncertain: reports of viral Sora material and warnings about IP misuse suggest that access to training material alone may not settle disputes over what models can generate or how platforms distribute it.
The trend: Generative-video companies are moving from broad web-data assumptions toward negotiated, commercially governed access to premium entertainment rights.