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Donald Trump said Netflix’s “very big market share” in streaming video could pose a problem as it seeks regulatory approval for its blockbuster $83bn deal to acquire Warner Bros.
“They have a very big market share and when they have Warner Brothers that share goes up a lot,” he said. “It could be a problem,” he added.
Netflix emerged as the winner of the Warner Bros auction on Friday, topping rival offers from Paramount and Comcast. The union representing Hollywood screenwriters was among the industry voices arguing that the deal should be blocked.
Trump said he “would be involved in that decision” about whether to clear the transaction. When AT&T struck a deal to buy Time Warner during the first Trump administration, there was a lengthy battle with the justice department before it was finally approved. The Netflix-Warner deal is also expected to receive scrutiny from the Department of Justice.
Trump said Ted Sarandos visited him at the Oval Office for a meeting last week, adding that the Netflix co-chief executive did not give him any guarantees about the Warner deal when they met.
In his brief remarks on Sunday, Trump called Sarandos a “great person” and compared him with Louis B Mayer, the movie mogul who co-founded the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio in 1924.
“I think he’s fantastic,” he said of Sarandos. “I have a lot of respect for him. In the history of Hollywood you could say there’s been nothing like what he’s done. But it is a big market share, there’s no question about it.”
Netflix’s winning bid surprised many in Hollywood. A rival bid from Paramount was viewed as more likely to receive regulatory approval because the company is backed by Larry Ellison, the multibillionaire co-founder of Oracle and a Trump supporter.
Trump in October appeared to advocate for Paramount to win the Warner auction, telling reporters the Ellisons are “friends of mine”.
Sarandos, a Democrat whose wife served as an ambassador to the Bahamas during the Obama administration, has also visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago since he was re-elected last year.
The Netflix-Warner deal is not expected to close until the third quarter of 2026 or later. It is subject to regulatory approval in the US and in Europe.
The US president was asked about the deal as he prepared to host the Kennedy Center Honors, where he was scheduled to recognise Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait and the rock band Kiss.
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