Netflix announced that it has agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film studio and HBO assets, including the streaming service, Netflix completed a deal that accounted for between $82.7 billion of Warner Bros.
Studios and its streaming unit, thus placing the streaming conglomerate at the heart of the Hollywood business game.
The deal was concluded after a critical negotiation session on November 24, 2024, where the co-CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos confirmed the valuation with President Trump, who approved the sale to the highest bidder and the Netflix company, an establishment, in his opinion, is a great company.
“Netflix is a great company. They’ve done a phenomenal job. Ted is a fantastic man. I have a lot of respect for him. But it’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Trump Meeting Tilts the Scales
Briefing on the film-tax incentives at the White House by Ted Sarandos lasted one hour, then narrowed down to the Warner bid.
President Trump is quoted saying that no objection is imminent in terms of regulation, meaning Netflix has some confidence despite the fact that the White House is very skeptical about dominance in the market.
Paramount had lodged a complaint of a perceived tilted procedure; however, Netflix won over the cable spin-off proposal by Warner.
The transaction is to be closed in the third quarter of 2026, and the termination fee in case of regulatory opposition is a huge amount of $5.8 billion.
Union Sounds Alarming on Jobs
The merger had an alarming reaction by talent unions. The Writers Guild of America cautioned that the merger would lead to fewer employment packages, low wages, and a lack of diverse content as Netflix might be able to control almost half of the streaming space.
The WGA made a statement declaring that this must not be allowed as it is feared that consumers will experience rising price levels.
Regulatory Hurdles Ahead
The critics such as senator Elizabeth Warren called the trade an anti-monopoly nightmare.
Analyst Blair Levin is looking forward to a challenge by the Department of Justice under a Trump administration, and that the U.S. production incentives or packages of offers proposed by Netflix under this scenario should be considered by the Department of Justice.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he’s “highly confident in the regulatory process.
“This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, pro-creator, pro-growth,” he said. “And our plans here are to work really closely with all the appropriate governments and regulators, but really confident that we’re going to get all the necessary approvals that we need.”
Outlook: Powershift?
With a successful merger, Netflix has a chance to control most of the streaming market and combine HBO Max contents like Game of Thrones with their original content. The FTC and DOJ are likely to increase antitrust investigation.
This is because the viability of the transaction depends on negotiated concessions, otherwise failure would resuscitate the competing bid by Paramount.
Possible changes to release windows could be in favor of streaming platforms, which redefine theatrical distribution trends under the circumstances of 2025 box-office boom, the role of the labor unions, and Senator Warren is a promising indicator of a prolonged legal struggle that would run through 2026.
