Subj : Trump says the big Netflix-Warner Bros merger could be a problem To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Mon Dec 08 2025 13:45:08 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. (Image credit: Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) 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. Paramount is not happy with the Netflix WBD deal (Image credit: Paramount / ViacomCBS) 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. Larry Ellisons 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 ). Netflix's content announcements at Tudum could get supercharged (Image credit: Netflix ) 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. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/trump-says-the-big-netflix-warner- bros-merger-could-be-a-problem-heres-why --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .