US President Donald Trump has raised fresh concerns over Netflix’s planned $72bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, saying the massive deal “could be a problem” for competition in the entertainment industry.
Speaking at an event in Washington DC on Sunday, Trump said Netflix already controls a “very big market share”, and that the proposed merger with Warner Bros’ movie studio and HBO streaming platforms would make the company “even bigger”.
Netflix and Warner Bros announced the agreement on Friday, a move that would bring hit franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Looney Tunes, The Matrix and Lord of the Rings under Netflix.
The deal, which still needs approval from US competition regulators, has already sparked debate across Hollywood.
Trump said he would be personally involved in deciding whether the deal gets approved, stressing again that Netflix’s influence “would go up by a lot”.
He also revealed that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently visited the Oval Office, praising him for “one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies”.
Industry experts say the biggest antitrust concern is the combination of Netflix with HBO’s streaming service, which could give Netflix a dominant grip on streaming content.
However, others argue that Netflix may not appear too powerful if regulators count YouTube, cable TV and broadcast TV as competitors.
Some analysts believe the deal will go through, but with likely concessions.
Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America has called for the takeover to be blocked, warning that allowing “the world’s largest streaming platform to swallow one of its biggest rivals” would kill jobs, reduce content variety, and push prices higher for consumers.
The merger is expected to conclude after Warner Bros completes a business split in the second half of 2026.
