US EditionNetflix agrees to buy Warner Bros studio and streaming business in $83bn deal
Netflix will acquire Warner Bros. studios, HBO Max, and DC Studios in a $83 billion deal expected to close within 18 months, expanding its content and production scale.
- On Dec. 5, 2025, Netflix agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for US$72-billion, a deal announced Friday uniting two major entertainment players.
- After a monthslong bidding war, Netflix outbid Comcast and Paramount/Skydance to add HBO Max's 128 million subscribers and expand its 300 million-plus subscriber base.
- Financially, the deal is structured as a cash-and-stock offer at $27.75 per Warner share, implying an enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion and includes a $5.8 billion break-up fee.
- Regulators and lawmakers have opened scrutiny, noting increased antitrust concerns in recent weeks while the Writers Guild of America and Cinema United urged blocking, and companies expect closing after Warner's planned split in the third quarter of 2026.
- If approved, the merger would create the combined company controlling close to half the streaming market, while producers warn it could monopolize theatrical distribution amid Hollywood's shift toward streaming-first models.
958 Articles
958 Articles
Local theaters weigh impact of Netflix’s potential Warner Bros. takeover
Netflix’s proposed $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. has raised concerns across the film industry, particularly among local movie theaters that fear shorter theatrical release windows, increased consolidation and reduced access to iconic films.
The Netflix–Warner Bros. Merger Is a Broadside Attack on Workers
A Netflix sign atop a building in Los Angeles on Dec. 18, 2025, with the Hollywood sign in the distance. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP Following the announcement that Netflix would buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros for $72 billion, it has been difficult to find anyone who views this development as positive, with even Netflix investors displaying concern. Yet rampant speculation over what this might mean for consumers or even the art o…
Could Netflix Win the Deal but Lose the Media War?
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The Netflix-Warner Bros. Merger — Is ‘Going to the Movies’ Over? – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
If “going to the movies” is something you look forward to, then the planned $82.7 billion merger of streaming giant Netflix and movie studio Warner Bros. should be on your radar. Movie theater operators woke up last Friday to the possibility of their world being turned upside down. Should the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal be approved by regulators, 2025 could be remembered as a watershed moment for the movie industry, specifically, and the moviegoin…
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