When markets are allowed to develop independently, free from regulation or government overreach, consumers benefit, innovation flourishes and the entire economy thrives. This belief is being tested as Congress prepares to weigh the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. For all Americans who care about affordability, jobs and America’s ability to compete globally, this deal should be supported.
America’s seniors lived through part of Hollywood’s Golden Age, when the entertainment business embodied the free-market principles upheld by the United States. But the modern entertainment marketplace is complex. Families today juggle multiple streaming subscriptions, each increasing in price and offering a narrower range of content. This fragmentation is not a win for consumers, but a tax on choice and convenience.
A Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery merger would help American consumers and finally begin to move streaming in the other direction. The deal would combine world-class content and the most familiar U.S. streaming platform to give Americans access to more programming on easier-to-navigate services. Low prices can be maintained long-term. For seniors, consolidating services into a simpler, more affordable offering reduces confusion and makes it easier to enjoy the content they value.
Netflix would also no longer need to license Warner Bros. content, freeing resources to invest directly in new movies and shows built on beloved American intellectual property. This would result in more content, better bundles and more value for the consumer dollar. HBO Max subscribers, likewise, could gain access to Netflix’s vast library at a lower effective cost. With more than 75 percent of HBO Max subscribers also paying for a Netflix subscription, Netflix can offer customers access to the same content and more, at lower prices.
At a time when many industries are shedding jobs or moving production overseas, this merger stands out as a win for U.S. workers and local communities. Netflix has made it clear that Warner Bros. will remain a distinct creative engine, and Netflix has promised to continue licensing the studio’s shows to other streaming platforms. More importantly, Netflix brings a proven commitment to domestic production and the U.S. economy. Its nearly $1 billion investment in New Mexico is just one example of real, tangible support for American jobs.
Netflix has already demonstrated a commitment to job creation in the entertainment industry. From 2020 to 2024, Netflix hired more than 140,000 cast and crew members. For Americans who believe strong communities are built on private-sector employment, this deal is a clear positive, and is firmly in line with President Trump’s America First agenda than the proposed deals from other bidders.
The entertainment business is no longer just about movies and TV shows. It has become a gateway to global influence and promoting America First. Foreign-owned platforms and state-influenced companies, including China’s Tencent and European media giants, are rapidly expanding their reach. Content shapes culture, and culture shapes power. If America wants to win the economic and cultural competition with China, we need American companies with the scale, technology and creative depth to compete globally. A combined Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery would form a U.S.-based leader, producing content for American audiences and projecting American values worldwide.
Predictably, some in Washington are raising antitrust alarms. But these arguments collapse under scrutiny.
Even after the merger, the combined company would face intense competition from Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and others; from YouTube, which dwarfs Netflix and HBO Max in viewership; from Tubi and other fast-growing platforms; and from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Warner Bros recognizes that the market for entertainment will continue to evolve, and this deal positions it to meet those changes, rather than fall behind. Antitrust is supposed to make markets work, not just declare that big equals bad. When it’s always the same set of voices crying foul over every corporate acquisition, we should question, not accept their conclusions.
The Department of Justice has approved far larger vertically-integrated deals in recent years, including the Disney–Fox merger and the Amazon–MGM acquisition. Singling out this transaction would be arbitrary and would come across as politically motivated.
This merger shouldn’t be about corporate favoritism or revolve around the government picking a winner. It’s about allowing the free market to respond to consumer demands, support American workers, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness in a crowded global arena. Putting America first in entertainment is done by restoring competitiveness and letting the market, along with the American people, dictate what is shown on screens. Only then can we restore the Hollywood our seniors grew up with.
To strengthen consumer freedom, affordability, private-sector job creation, and fulfill the America First economic agenda, the Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery deal is the right deal at the right time. Washington should step aside and let the market work.