“An Unprecedented Threat”: U.S. Writers and Directors Guilds Express Concern Over Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has issued a statement declaring that the sale of Warner Bros. Discovery to Netflix must be stopped. This Friday turned into a dark day for cinephiles when Netflix officially announced its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in an $82.7 billion deal.
Part of the Guild’s statement reads: “The world’s largest streaming company has swallowed one of its biggest competitors in an action the antitrust laws were designed to prevent. The result will be fewer jobs, lower wages, and deteriorating working conditions for everyone employed in the entertainment industry, higher prices for consumers, and a reduction in both the volume and diversity of content available to audiences. Workers in this industry, alongside the public, have already seen the harmful effects of a handful of powerful companies dominating what consumers watch on television, streaming platforms, and in theaters. This merger must be stopped.”
The Writers Guild argues that the merger will shrink the marketplace for writers. Back in October, when multiple bids for Warner Bros. Discovery were floated, the Guild warned that any merger of Warner Bros. “with Paramount or any other studio or streaming network could be disastrous for writers, consumers, and competition.”
The WGA has previously opposed major consolidations: Comcast–NBCUniversal in 2011, AT&T–Time Warner in 2016, the Fox–Disney merger in 2017, Amazon–MGM in 2021, and the Warner Bros.–Discovery merger in 2022. In 2023, the Guild warned that Disney, Netflix, and Amazon were seeking to become the “new gatekeepers” of the industry.
The Producers Guild of America (PGA), in a separate statement, expressed “concern” over what it described as the merger of “one of Hollywood’s most storied and valuable studios” with Netflix. The Guild said: “For the past century, the entertainment industry has employed millions of Americans, delighted audiences, and showcased the best of our nation both at home and abroad.” Producers emphasized that with ongoing technological change, the industry and lawmakers must find ways to protect “producers’ livelihoods” and “true theatrical exhibition.”
Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of America (DGA), led by Christopher Nolan, released a statement Thursday night after reports of the merger surfaced, expressing its own concern: “We believe that a vibrant and competitive industry—one that supports creativity and real competition among artists—is essential to protecting the jobs and artistic rights of directors and all those who work alongside them. We will be meeting with Netflix to raise our concerns and gain a clearer understanding of their vision for the company’s future.”
The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, likewise voiced concern over the merger of the two entertainment giants, stating that it “raises numerous serious questions about the future of the entertainment industry, particularly for the human artists whose jobs and livelihoods depend on it.”
Additionally, Cinema United—formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners—described the absorption of Warner Bros. by Netflix as an “unprecedented threat” to its business model.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos officially confirmed the acquisition this Friday, saying the company remains committed to releasing Warner Bros. films in theaters, but continues to oppose exclusive, long theatrical windows.
