US EditionWarner Bros Discovery Gets Mostly Cash Offer From Netflix
Officials warn Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery could face prolonged federal antitrust scrutiny due to potential market concentration affecting competition and consumers.
- Roughly ten days ago, senior White House advisers convened a closed-door meeting to assess antitrust risks of Netflix's planned purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery as the board's Monday afternoon deadline nears.
- Officials worried that combining Netflix's 300 million global subscribers with Warner Bros. Discovery's assets could concentrate excessive market power and prompt a federal probe like those of Google and Amazon.
- Netflix's defense stressed 'category ambiguity' arguing competition from YouTube and TikTok undermines classic antitrust tests, and a government official said Netflix winning would spur a lengthy DOJ Antitrust Division review under Gale Slater and AG Pam Bondi.
- For now, the White House is treating a successful Netflix bid as a red line, poised for rigorous, potentially deal-killing scrutiny as Netflix sharpens its offer on Warner Bros. studio and HBO Max amid multiple suitors.
- A Netflix win would become the largest media merger attempt of the streaming era, drawing parallel challenges from European regulators and impacting consumers, independent creators and rival streaming platforms.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Netflix Likely Out of Running for Warner Bros. Sale
Senior White House officials are raising major red flags over the Netflix bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, and those concerns may effectively knock the streamer out of the running before the next round of offers even lands on the table. The conversation around Netflix and Warner Bros. has rapidly shifted from speculation to skepticism, as officials inside President Trump’s administration now view the potential merger as a looming antitrust headac…
Trump Sounds Alarm on Netflix Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery & Could Block The Deal
Senior officials inside the Trump White House convened a previously unreported high-level meeting roughly ten days ago to examine growing antitrust implications of Netflix potentially acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery’s film studio and HBO Max streaming platform. The closed-door session, attended by several advisers close to the president, concluded with broad agreement that allowing Netflix to […] The post Trump Sounds Alarm on Netflix Bid for W…
Netflix under White House scrutiny? Officials flag antitrust concerns over bid for Warner Bros Discovery, says report
The high-level meeting took place approximately 10 days ago, with several White House officials in attendance. The officials also suggested that a broader investigation is necessary to assess Netflix’s market power.
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