DOJ Probes Netflix Leverage Over Creators In Antitrust WB Deal Review
Deadline • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into Netflix's $108 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), issuing a civil investigative demand (CID) to scrutinize whether the acquisition could lessen competition or create a monopoly.
- The DOJ's inquiry, initiated around early February, requires Netflix and associated parties to submit documents and sworn responses by March 23, coinciding closely with a WBD shareholder vote on Netflix's $83 billion acquisition offer.
- Netflix denies any monopoly or exclusionary conduct, emphasizing its competitive market position and willingness to cooperate with regulators, while Paramount continues legal opposition to the merger.
- The investigation unfolds amid political complexities, including mixed signals from former President Donald Trump
