Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight urged global streaming services to support the UK production sector during SXSW London 2026, held on Monday. Knight appeared alongside UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in a session titled 'Our National Story'.
Levy Proposal
Last year, a parliamentary committee suggested a 5% levy on UK subscriber revenue from foreign streamers such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, and Disney+ to fund British drama production. Netflix opposed this, advocating for incentives over penalties.
"The issue for me is: They come here, they make big blockbuster productions," Knight remarked, emphasizing job creation benefits. "But they keep all profits. I just feel there’s a conversation to be had. It’s not [a] tax. It’s a two-way street."
Financial Contribution
Knight proposed that streamers could leave a small percentage of their profits in the UK to sustain its production infrastructure. "If you’re going to come and take advantage of what we have, then maybe financially there is a 1 percent, 2 percent, something that is left behind that helps us to maintain," he suggested, without specifying whether this should apply to revenue or profits.
AI Concerns
The session also touched on AI's impact on creatives. Knight warned, "AI is a threat to writers" and emphasized the need for human excellence. "I think the people who are responsible for lots of these tech things need to understand that they’re human too, and they’ve got a responsibility to do the right thing," he argued.
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/steven-knight-uk-streaming-levy-lisa-nandy-sxsw-london-2026-1236610363/
