What has Trump said about the Netflix-Warner Bros deal?

Donald Trump weighed in on news of Netflix's planned deal to acquire Warner Bros, warning that the deal "could be a problem".

It was announced on Friday that the two entertainment media companies reached a deal worth $72 billion (£54 billion).

The streaming giant will purchase Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) film and television studios, as well as its streaming service, HBO Max, which in recent weeks had been the subject of a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount.

The US president discussed the topic on Sunday with reporters on the red carpet of the Kennedy Centre Honors event in Washington, D.C.

He noted that the deal will require a government review, “I’ll be involved in that decision," and added that it needed to “go through a process, and we’ll see what happens.”

Trump also brought up Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos and his recent visit to the Oval Office, calling him "a fantastic man."

"I have a lot of respect for him, but it’s a lot of market share," he added about the acquisition.

"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.”

The deal between Netflix and Warner Bros is anticipated to be reviewed by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will not be involved in this process Warner Bros doesn't own broadcast TV stations or cable.)

Double exposure photograph of the Netflix logo and the Warner Bros logo on a television screen at Kerlouan in Brittany in France on December 05 2025.Photo by Vincent Feuray / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images

Since news broke of the deal, there has been backlash from organisations in the entertainment industry,

The Directors Guild of America says it has made plans to meet with Netflix to discuss their “concerns”.

“We believe that a vibrant, competitive industry — one that fosters creativity and encourages genuine competition for talent — is essential to safeguarding the careers and creative rights of directors and their teams. We will be meeting with Netflix to outline our concerns and better understand their vision for the future of the company. While we undertake this due diligence we will not be commenting further," they said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America declared this merger "must be blocked" in their statement.

"The world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent,” the statement read. “The outcome would eliminate jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers. Industry workers along with the public are already impacted by only a few powerful companies maintaining tight control over what consumers can watch on television, on streaming, and in theaters. This merger must be blocked.”

Elsewhere from Indy100, Every show and movie coming to Netflix in December 2025 worth watching, and Trump wants to rename American Football but people online like it.

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