Trump says Netflix-Warner Bros deal ‘could be a problem’

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he would have a say whether a proposed $82.7bn merger between Netflix and Warner Brothers should proceed. “I’ll be involved in that decision,” Trump told reporters. Trump did not say whether he favored the deal’s approval, but indicated a potential concentration of market power in the entertainment industry. At an event in Washington DC, Trump said Netflix has a “big market share” and the firms’ combined size “could be a problem.” Bloomberg reports that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met with Trump at the White House in mid-November to discuss the potential acquisition. Trump reportedly told Sarandos that Warner Bros. should sell to the highest bidder, and Sarandos argued that Netflix’s acquisition of the company would not create a monopoly. Paramount, which triggered the auction of Warner Bros., may launch a hostile bid, Bloomberg notes.