The US president also declared that he will be ‘involved’ in the process that will evaluate the purchase
The President of the United States, , stated on Sunday (7) that the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the “huge market share” that Netflix will have at the end of the merger. During his walk on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors, the Republican told reporters that he will be “involved” in the decision to approve the deal or not.
Trump also said that co-chief executive Ted Sarandos had given no assurances about the deal during a meeting at the White House the week before the acquisition was announced.
The US president also praised Sarandos and stated that he is “a good person” and that he did “one of the best works in the history of cinema”.
Netflix on Friday signed a definitive agreement to acquire the TV and film studios and streaming division of Warner Bros. The operation is valued at US$82.7 billion, equivalent to R$452 billion.
The companies expect to complete the transaction 12 to 18 months after Warner Bros continues its plan to spin off Discovery Global, which includes the CNN and TNT channels, in the third quarter of 2026. According to information from Folha de S. Pauloin Brazil, TNT Sports must be under the responsibility of Netflix.
The Warner Bros. acquisition process Discovery must be evaluated by the United States Department of Justice. Another North American body responsible for analyzing this type of transaction is the Federal Trade Commission. Therefore, it is not up to the president of the country to carry out antitrust checks in company acquisition and merger processes.
