Why the massive merger of Netflix and Warner Bros. is proving so contentious
CBC
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
If approved by U.S. regulators, Netflix’s $72 billion proposal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery would merge Warner's television and motion picture division, including HBO Max and DC Studios, with Netflix's vast library and its production arm, putting two of the world's biggest streaming services under the same ownership.
News of the impending merger drew swift reaction from the film and television industries, the movie theatre industry and U.S. lawmakers.
Here's some of that reaction, including who opposes the deal, why it's so contentious and what it could mean for consumers.
The Writers Guild of America called for the deal to be blocked in a statement Friday, saying that further consolidation of the film and television industry would eliminate jobs, worsen conditions for entertainment workers and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers.
The Producers Guild of America said the Netflix deal must prove that it protects workers' livelihoods and theatrical distribution.
"Legacy studios are more than content libraries — within their vaults are the character and culture of our nation," the union said.
Anytime there is consolidation of this magnitude, it creates concern that there will be fewer options, fewer voices and fewer decision makers coming from different perspectives, said Canadian director Sasha Leigh Henry.
What the full impact will be remains to be seen, Henry said, "But right now, it doesn't necessarily feel great."
“It feels like a bit of a limitation that we're gonna be experiencing in one way or another, whether that be the kinds of content or the breadth of the perspectives and filmmakers and the kinds of stories that we’re being told.”
Actor Jane Fonda wrote in an op-ed that the deal puts Hollywood and democracy itself at risk.
In the article, she wrote that this level of media consolidation could prove "catastrophic for an industry built on free expression, for the creative workers who power it, and for consumers who depend on a free, independent media ecosystem to understand the world."
Cinema United, a trade organization that represents movie theatre owners around the globe including Canada, is one of the most vocal critics of the deal, saying in a statement Friday that it poses an "unprecedented threat" to movie theatres worldwide.
Cinema United CEO Michael O’Leary said in an interview with CBC News that the issue as they see it is very simple.
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