Donald Trump expressed doubt on Sunday about Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)‘s potential acquisition by Netflix, pointing out that the streaming giant has already gained a “very large market share” and adding that “this could become a problem.”
“I will be involved in the decision” of regulators on that acquisition, valued at $83 billion, the U.S. president told reporters as he arrived at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for a public awards event.
The US President also mentioned that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently visited him at the White House.
If the acquisition in its current form is completed, Netflix would acquire rival platform HBO Max and Warner Bros. studios.
Netflix is the world’s largest on-demand online video streaming platform, with HBO Max in third place (excluding Amazon Prime Video), and Disney+ rounding out the podium.
The platform would gain a massive catalog, including Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, DC Studios’ superhero series (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.), and TV productions such as Game of Thrones.
It would not, however, acquire WBD’s TV channels, including the Discovery Channel and CNN, as they are part of a separate publicly traded group.
Netflix prevailed in the acquisition race against two other suitors, Comcast and Paramount Skydance.
The head of Paramount Skydance, David Ellison—son of multibillionaire Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle—is believed to have close ties to President Trump.
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