Posted on 12/08/2025 3:00:16 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the proposed $72 billion merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery "could be a problem" because of the amount of market share the resulting company would have.
The value of the deal balloons to more than $82 billion when debt is accounted for.
Netflix said Friday it would purchase Warner Bros. Discovery's film studio, HBO and the streaming service HBO Max. If the deal is approved, Netflix would also get access to decades of films and shows in the Warner Bros. Pictures archive.
The deal would not include cable networks owned by Warner Bros.
Trump expressed some skepticism Sunday about the prospects of approval.
"Well, that’s got to go through a process, and we’ll see what happens," he told reporters as he walked the Kennedy Center Awards’ red carpet in Washington.
Trump said he would consult "some economists" before the deal get his stamp of approval. "I’ll be involved in that decision, too," he said. Historically, presidents have not often gotten involved in antitrust approvals when companies seek to merge.
The deal is also likely to require approval from the European Commission and other governments around the world.
During his two terms in office, Trump has dramatically reshaped the ways corporate America deals with the federal government.
Earlier Sunday, Bloomberg News reported that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos visited Trump at the White House in mid-November to discuss the potential deal.
Trump also compared Netflix's success to that of the famed MGM film studio, which Amazon now owns. Amazon purchased the studio during the Biden administration, which did not challenge the takeover.
The Trump administration in July approved the billion-dollar merger of Paramount Global with film studio Skydance. However, the approval only came after a contentious back-and-forth with the government and Trump himself.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
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The government absolutely has the power to prevent and breakup monopolies.
Getting involved with this is not the proper role of government.
Like hell it isn’t. Eventually there will be two or three companies running everything. It’s no different than socialism.
crony capitalism is not the free market.
Corporate interests are also trying to allow for encryption of the over the air TV signals to make it so inconvenient to get over the air channels to try to force people to pay more to receive them or get cable, etc. so they can get the carriage fees whether people watch the programming or not.
If this goes through, stand by for more movies that have men kissing men
We became socialists to stop socialism.
Wonderful. /sarc
SMH
It is, in the cause of destroying liberalism.
Weaponizing government against our enemies was one of the very things the founding fathers sought to prevent.
Don’t worry, I am constantly reminded of the how and why the Founding Fathers are so extremely unpopular. I see it daily, and no I do not mean out there in progressive-world.
Board of Directors, NetFlix
Rich Barton Democrat Major donor
Mathias Döpfner German
Reed Hastings (Chairman) Democrat major Democratic megadonor; $2 million to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) 2025 redistricting PAC; $7 million to pro-Kamala Harris super PAC in 2024 (personal, not corporate);
Jay Hoag Democrat $100,000 to Biden Victory Fund in 2020;
Leslie Kilgore Unknown
Strive Masiyiwa Zimbabwean but Gates Foundation,
Ann Mather Unknown
Ellie Mertz Unknown
Susan Rice Democrat Major Democratic donor;
Brad Smith Democrat
Anne Sweeney Democrat
Why would Trump allow Obama and his minions to control Netflix and WBD? I am against further consolidation in the movie industry but if it is going to happen Paramount is a better option.
The hostile offer sets up a furious battle between Paramount – whose owner Larry Ellison is an ally of Donald Trump – and streaming behemoth Netflix to buy one of Hollywood’s most storied studios.
Why would Trump allow Obama and his minions to control Netflix and WBD?
Trump says the big Netflix-Warner Bros merger ‘could be a problem’ – here’s why
I would suggest that Trump has an opinion but it is not his decision. He has enough on his plate.
Sorry, I don’t care. I just want liberalism stopped. I don’t care about liberty any more. I want prosperity, reality, and safety over liberty.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Ok by me. Those enlightenment era axioms are void.
Looking for his cut.
Look, I appreciate your honesty. Sincerely. I entirely disagree with you but this does constitute a legitimate final word on the matter. I know where you stand and you know where I stand and there's no challenge in tinkering around the edges about it.
Not everybody has the courage to be this honest and straight forward outside of these forums. They duck and weave and hide their true feelings/thoughts.
What initially came to my mind was different.
It is true that Benjamin Franklin quiped about giving up liberty; not deserving safety and all of that.
At a different time Benjamin Franklin quipped that we shall all either hang together or we shall hang separately. That’s what came to my mind.
When they send me to the gallows I want to be hung separately - no people around me who have lost faith in the blessings of Liberty. I just want to be around people interested in being free.
Thank you for your understanding. I think embrace of liberty has led to uncontrolled progressivism, hence my position.
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