Israel: Producers In Nation That Introduced The World To ‘Fauda’ & ‘Shtisel’ Are Pushing For Rights & Regulation

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Israel, the nation that brought the likes of Fauda and Shtisel to the world, has become the latest regulatory battleground as producers push for streamer quotas and greater ownership of IP.A wealth of independent production companies under the guidance of the Israeli Producers Association (IPA) are working on potentially gamechanging draft legislation that they hope to send to the government in two months, although delays are anticipated as the incumbent government is on the brink of collapse.

Once agreed, the hope is the legislation can be moved through Israel’s Knesset (parliament).Amongst a number of recommendations, Israeli producers desire an arrangement with broadcasters whereby they would retain 50% of the rights to their programs, which they could then sell around the world for profit, along with streamer quotas to ensure Netflix and other deep-pocketed West Coast giants are commissioning local content.As it stands, local broadcasters keep the vast majority of rights for huge periods of time – up to 15 years – while streamers are under no pressure to greenlight locally, choosing rather to swoop in and acquire top-quality readymade content such as Yes Oh’s Fauda.Both demands have global precedent.Since being passed in 2003, the UK’s Terms of Trade have revolutionized the UK production sector, while in a multitude of European nations, streamers will soon be obliged to commission a certain amount of content from local producers if they want to operate in said territory.The UK is “20 years ahead” of Israel in the regulatory space, according to Tzvika Gottlieb, the CEO of the IPA, whose main priority is for Israel to catch up.