'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Netflix & Warner Bros. merger, an $82.7 billion deal for Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio assets, including the prestigious HBO Max streaming service and iconic franchises like DC Comics, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones, has ignited a major industry firestorm.
The resulting company would combine the world’s dominant streaming platform (Netflix) with one of Hollywood’s oldest and most powerful content libraries (Warner Bros. Studio), creating an enterprise that analysts estimate could control close to half of the U.S. streaming market.
Netflix & Warner Bros. merger faces unprecedented scrutiny over market dominance and vertical control of content
The Netflix & Warner Bros. merger has sparked fierce backlash from regulators, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, Hollywood unions, and movie theater owners, all citing grave antitrust concerns.
Trending
Critics argue the move would grant Netflix excessive market dominance, leading to harmful consequences such as higher consumer prices, fewer content choices, reduced diversity in programming, job cuts for industry workers, and a potential "death blow" to the traditional theatrical movie release model.
Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents film, television, and digital media writers in the United States, issued a statement jointly through both the WGA East and WGA West on December 5, 2025, in direct response to the announcement of Netflix & Warner Bros. merger. It reads:
“The world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent. The outcome would eliminate jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers. Industry workers along with the public are already impacted by only a few powerful companies maintaining tight control over what consumers can watch on television, on streaming, and in theaters. This merger must be blocked.”
The deal has been unanimously approved by both companies' boards, but it faces an uphill battle for regulatory clearance. Netflix has even offered a significant breakup fee in case the deal fails due to antitrust challenges, emphasizing the high regulatory risk.
The merger will be subjected to a lengthy investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the U.S. and review by regulators in the European Union, with some officials indicating the investigation will be "along the lines of those of Google and Amazon."
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos spoke about the Netflix & Warner Bros. merger on an investor call on December 5, 2025, stating he was "highly confident" it would gain approval. He dismissed antitrust concerns, labeling the deal “pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, pro-creator," as the company seeks to reassure Wall Street and counter the intense regulatory and union backlash. He also added:
“I think over time, I think the windows will evolve to be much more consumer friendly, to be able to meet the audience where they are, quicker … I’d say right now, you should count on everything that is planned on going to the theater through Warner Bros will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros.”
Stay tuned for more updates on the Netflix & Warner Bros. merger.
