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 WarnerMedia, CBS Corp, Viacom Inc, NBCUniversal and "Walking
Dead" producer AMC Networks Inc weighed in a day after Walt
Disney Co's chief executive, Bob Iger, told Reuters that many
people will not want to work in Georgia if the law is
implemented, making it "very difficult" for the company to film
there.
The state law would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be
detected, at about six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women
know they are pregnant. The law is due to take effect on Jan. 1,
if it survives court challenges.
A Georgia tax credit has made the state a major hub for
Hollywood productions, luring blockbuster movies such as
Disney's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Endgame," and Netflix
Inc series such as "Stranger Things." The state currently
employs more than 92,000 people in the entertainment business,
according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
The long-running zombie hit "The Walking Dead" has made the town
of Senoia, Georgia, a tourist destination for fans.
CBS, owner of cable channel Showtime and the most-watched
broadcast network in the United States, said the ability to
attract talent was an "important consideration" and noted that
"creative voices across our industry have expressed concern"
about the Georgia law.
It is not the first time that Hollywood studios and other
deep-pocketed organizations have opposed a state measure.
A North Carolina law passed in 2016 that restricted bathroom use
by transgender people sparked a major business boycott. The
state repealed the law in 2017 after the boycott cost its
economy hundreds of millions of dollars and saw the National
Collegiate Athletic Association pull championship games and the
National Basketball Association its All-Star Game from the
state.
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Georgia is one of nine U.S. states that have passed strict limits on
abortion this year, moves that activists on both sides of the debate
have said were aimed at prompting the U.S. Supreme Court to review
and strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that
established a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.
Louisiana Governor John Edwards signed his state's new abortion bill
on Thursday, a spokeswoman said.
Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal unit said that while it expects many of
the laws will face court challenges, "If any of these laws are
upheld, it would strongly impact our decision making on where we
produce our content in the future."
AT&T Inc's WarnerMedia, which owns HBO and the Warner Bros movie
studio, made similar statements, as did the other media companies.
"This is likely to be a long and complicated fight and we are
watching it all very closely," AMC Networks said.
Abortion is one of the most socially divisive issues in U.S.
politics, with opponents often citing religious beliefs to call it
immoral, while abortion-rights advocates say the bans amount to
state control of women's bodies.
Netflix has gone farther than other media companies, saying on
Tuesday it would work with the ACLU and others to fight the abortion
law in court. Like the other companies, it is continuing productions
in Georgia in the meantime, but said it will "rethink" its
investment in the state if abortion law takes effect.
(Reporting by Kenneth Li in New York and Lisa Richwine in Los
Angeles; additional reporting by Gabriella Borter in New York;
editing by Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot and Leslie Adler)
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