Hollywood's Power Players Sound Alarm Over Netflix's Ambitious Move to Own Warner Bros.
The entertainment industry is abuzz with concern as major Hollywood labor unions have expressed their dissatisfaction with Netflix's proposed $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., HBO Max, and HBO. The deal would not only reshape the entertainment landscape but also give Netflix ownership of iconic franchises such as Batman, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been vocal in its opposition to the deal, stating that it must be blocked by lawmakers. In a joint statement released on Instagram and other channels, WGA East and West described the potential sale as "a consolidation that may serve the financial interests of shareholders, but raises many serious questions about its impact on the future of the entertainment industry." The union warned that the deal would lead to job losses, lower wages, worsened working conditions for entertainment workers, increased prices for consumers, and a reduction in content diversity.
SAG AFTRA, representing over 160,000 members including actors, journalists, singers, and dancers, also chimed in with its own statement. The union expressed concerns that the deal would harm the creative talent involved, stating that "a deal that is in the interest of SAG AFTRA members and all other workers in the entertainment industry must result in more creation and production, not less." They emphasized the importance of respecting the talent involved in the production process.
The Directors Guild of America (DGA), representing over 19,500 members, including directors and their teams, sounded a similar alarm. The organization noted that a competitive industry is essential to safeguarding the careers and creative rights of directors and their teams. While they will be meeting with Netflix to outline their concerns, they have not commented further on the matter.
Warner Bros. Discovery had previously announced its intention to put itself up for sale after receiving offers from Paramount Global, Skydance Media, and other parties. The WGA East and West had expressed opposition to this deal as well, warning that further media consolidation would be disastrous for writers, consumers, and competition.
The entertainment industry is abuzz with concern as major Hollywood labor unions have expressed their dissatisfaction with Netflix's proposed $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., HBO Max, and HBO. The deal would not only reshape the entertainment landscape but also give Netflix ownership of iconic franchises such as Batman, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been vocal in its opposition to the deal, stating that it must be blocked by lawmakers. In a joint statement released on Instagram and other channels, WGA East and West described the potential sale as "a consolidation that may serve the financial interests of shareholders, but raises many serious questions about its impact on the future of the entertainment industry." The union warned that the deal would lead to job losses, lower wages, worsened working conditions for entertainment workers, increased prices for consumers, and a reduction in content diversity.
SAG AFTRA, representing over 160,000 members including actors, journalists, singers, and dancers, also chimed in with its own statement. The union expressed concerns that the deal would harm the creative talent involved, stating that "a deal that is in the interest of SAG AFTRA members and all other workers in the entertainment industry must result in more creation and production, not less." They emphasized the importance of respecting the talent involved in the production process.
The Directors Guild of America (DGA), representing over 19,500 members, including directors and their teams, sounded a similar alarm. The organization noted that a competitive industry is essential to safeguarding the careers and creative rights of directors and their teams. While they will be meeting with Netflix to outline their concerns, they have not commented further on the matter.
Warner Bros. Discovery had previously announced its intention to put itself up for sale after receiving offers from Paramount Global, Skydance Media, and other parties. The WGA East and West had expressed opposition to this deal as well, warning that further media consolidation would be disastrous for writers, consumers, and competition.
netflix cant just buy up all these iconic franchises and expect no one to notice? its like they think we're all just gonna sit back and watch our favorite shows get ruined by corporate greed 
meanwhile the writers and actors are gonna lose their jobs and wages are gonna skyrocket what about the future of content diversity lol who cares about the shareholders? lets talk about the people making the magic happen behind the scenes 
. I mean, I get it, they wanna control the content, but at what cost? Job losses, lower wages, and less diversity in shows? 
That's not what we need right now 
. The WGA, SAG AFTRA, and DGA are all on the same page, saying this deal is a consolidation that might be good for shareholders but bad for everyone else 
. It's like, can't they just let Warner Bros run its own show? 
I'm team #SaveTheCreativeIndustry 
this whole thing is like a big lesson in the importance of keeping it local 
not having all these major players owning everything makes it super hard for new voices to come through 
remember when you're trying to make something new and someone else owns the stage, it's tough to get noticed 
i think the industry should focus on nurturing the people who make the magic happen instead of just giving more power to the big guys 
They're always talking about how we need more choices and innovation, but when someone like Netflix comes along with a massive offer, suddenly everyone's worried about job security and diversity. Newsflash: if you're not good at your job, it doesn't matter who owns the company! 
The real question is, what's in it for the talent? Are they really just going to get squeezed out because some corporate suit thinks it's a good idea? 
like what even is the point of having wga and sag aftra if they can't protect their members' interests? 
. I'm all for competition but sometimes I think these giants forget that they're supposed to be serving the people, not just makin' bank 
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! So Netflix is trying to own Warner Bros. and HBO Max for a whopping $82.7 billion? That's straight-up crazy 
. And let's not forget about the creative talent involved - actors, directors, writers... they deserve to be compensated fairly and have a say in the projects they work on 
. Now they're talking about another big player in town, Netflix, trying to own Warner Bros... It's just crazy. What's next? Disney owning Marvel too?! 
This is getting crazy! I mean, who doesn't love the idea of more competition in the entertainment industry? It's like a never-ending game of musical chairs, but with franchises and studios 
, can't believe Netflix is doing this... like, I get it, they wanna own some major franchises, but do they have to go all out and buy the whole thing? $82.7 billion is insane