The American government, led by Donald Trump, has raised serious concerns regarding Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.
Sources mentioned how this is a deal that is worth a staggering $72 billion in equity. This merger would combine one of the world’s biggest streaming platforms with one of the Hollywood industry’s iconic studios. As a result, it would give Netflix ownership of studios, content libraries, and streaming assets such as HBO Max.
At a recent public event, Donald Trump shared his thoughts on the deal and how the combined entity’s enormous market share might be a serious issue.
There was also discussion about how he intends to step in personally in the review process stage. That’s a notable departure from the norm, as most presidents usually don’t directly get involved in the regulatory antitrust assessments.
The deal has similarly given rise to more fears regarding filmmakers, unions, and some lawmakers that this merger might undermine competition, hurt diversity of content, and threaten theatrical cinema, as well as different jobs across the industry.
Meanwhile, other critics were seen arguing about how providing a major company with this much dominating power could restrict consumer choice and concentrate a lot of the power.