LOS ANGELES — Fissures revealed by the hacking at Sony Pictures Entertainment have raised the prospect of profound change at one of Hollywood’s oldest institutions: the Motion Picture Association of America.
In a behind-the-scenes drama, the Sony Pictures chairman Michael Lynton last month told industry colleagues of a plan to withdraw from the movie trade organization, according to people who have been briefed on the discussions. He cited the organization’s slow response and lack of public support in the aftermath of the attack on Sony and its film “The Interview,” as well as longstanding concerns about the cost and efficacy of the group.
Reversing course in mid-January, as the Oscar nominations were being announced, Mr. Lynton stayed in. But he and other studio executives are now discussing proposals that could alter the structure, mandate and governance of a 93-year-old organization that has been the policy front for Hollywood’s major film studios.
If adopted, their still emerging propositions might jolt the group into line with the new realities of a changing entertainment business. They might, for instance, open the association to new members and expand its interests to include television programs or digital content. They might also reduce the heavy annual contribution of more than $20 million that is required of each of the six member companies: Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Sony.
–
Mr. Lynton and others have posited that including television companies and units in an expanded trade organization would better reflect the current realities of entertainment, while spreading the cost of global efforts among a larger number of participants. Television shows are generating more money and viewers than film, often for the same companies that make movies.
Any such expansion would probably end the rule of unanimity, theoretically making the M.P.A.A. or a successor more nimble. But it would also bump quickly into existing policy organizations — for instance, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association or CreativeFuture, Hollywood’s antipiracy alliance — with overlapping membership and mission.
On Wednesday, Mr. Dodd said he had “talked with a lot of people” about expanded membership over the last several years.
As for selling that Washington building, which is also near a number of embassies, he sounded a note of caution. “It’s an important spot,” he said.
