Netflix announced last Friday that it has reached an agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, placing the deal at the center of the global film and television industry’s agenda.
Following the announcement, U.S. President Donald Trump said the agreement would be subject to a government review process and confirmed that he would also be involved in the decision. Speaking to reporters on the red carpet, Trump said the proposed acquisition must “go through a process, and we’ll see what happens.”
Trump described Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos as “a fantastic man,” adding, “I have a lot of respect for him, but it’s a lot of market share.”
He also commented on the size of the deal and its potential impact.
“He’s a great person… He’s got a lot of interesting things happening aside from what you’re talking about, but it is a big market share. There’s no question about it. It could be a problem.”
His remarks suggested that the acquisition could face close regulatory scrutiny due to Netflix’s growing dominance in the global streaming market. Under the terms of the agreement, the transaction is expected to be completed within 12 to 18 months.
If finalized, the deal would give Netflix access to Warner Bros.’ major intellectual property assets, including DC Studios, its comic book characters, the Harry Potter franchise, HBO’s series library, and the company’s film studio.
