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   Trump says the big Netflix-Warner Bros merger could be a problem  heres why   
      
   Date:   
   Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:34:14 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Could be a problem: Trump wants to personally help decide the Netflix-Warner   
   Bros. Deal  and hes already highlighted a big reason to block it.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Days after Netflix announced it had won the bidding war over Warner Bros.   
   Discovery  thanks to an agreement valued at $82.7 billion  it appears that    
   the deal may hit a sizable roadblock: Donald Trump. The US President said the   
   combined size of the duo could be a problem.    
      
   Speaking at an event at the John F Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the   
   United States President remarked that Netflixs already very big market share   
   would likely go up by a lot if the deal was allowed to go ahead.    
      
   He isnt wrong either.   
      
   Current market share estimates suggest Netflix and HBO Max (WBDs streaming   
   service) control a combined 34% of the US streaming market  which is above    
   the level of control the US Department of Justices antitrust rules would    
   allow after a merger. These figures, however, crucially dont include YouTube.    
      
   Its believed that Netflix's lawyers will argue that Netflix and WBDs market   
   share is much smaller when you take Googles platform into account  with stats   
   showing YouTube has the highest video streaming viewership share by some   
   margin. They may also try to downplay WBD as a streaming rival and instead   
   focus on its utility as a production studio and content library.   
      
   Personal politics   
      
   Beyond market share considerations, the Presidents comments about wanting to   
   have an unprecedented level of involvement in the negotiation have led some    
   to speculate if more personal leanings could play a part in decision-making.    
      
   Trump has had some very positive things about Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos,   
   calling him a great person who has done one of the greatest jobs in the   
   history of movies.   
      
   However, reports also suggest (via The Guardian ) that President Trump would   
   have preferred Paramounts offer to buy WBD to win out. David Ellison is the   
   chief executive of Paramount, and the deal to buy WBD was backed by his   
   father, Larry Ellison, a staunch Trump ally -- Ellison is also at the   
   center of the US TikTok buyout.    
      
   David Ellison directly referred to having a Trump card (via The Independent )   
   in his pocket to help a possible Paramount WBD acquisition go through ahead    
   of the Netflix agreement being chosen, and more recently, Paramount described   
   the Netflix deal as "unfair."    
      
   None of this is to say personal politics will be a key consideration for the   
   administration, but it adds further fuel to the fire of speculation that   
   Netflixs deal could ultimately get blocked.   
      
   To block or not to block    
      
   All that said, weve already covered these arguments and more in our analysis   
   with experts on what the Netflix and Warner Bros. deal could mean for you .   
   TL;DR: more content on one platform, but price hikes are likely, and working   
   in the entertainment industry could become even more challenging.    
      
   So to some extent, while Trump's involvement isnt par for the course, its not   
   unreasonable for Netflix to have already considered all of the possible ways   
   the deal could collapse, and despite these pitfalls, its so confident things   
   will be approved that the deal includes a $5.8 billion breakup fee (via The   
   Hollywood Reporter ).   
      
   This wouldnt just pay out if Netflix walks away; Netflix pays this fine if    
   the deal doesnt go through for any reason. Thats a lot of money to offer if    
   it isnt reasonably certain that regulators will approve the acquisition.    
      
   Were still very early days in a deal that isnt expected to close until the    
   end of 2026  potentially not even until were into 2027. That is to say, we   
   have a lot of time to see some twists and turns play out before we know if    
   HBO Maxs name change saga will stop at Netflix or something else entirely.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/trump-says-the-big-netflix-warner-   
   bros-merger-could-be-a-problem-heres-why   
      
   https://tinyurl.com/3jehrsm2   
      
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