Paramount announced on Monday that it was challenging Netflix with a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. 
The <a href="https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/paramount-launches-all-cash-tender-offer-acquire-warner-bros">announcement</a> comes just days after Netflix said it had reached a deal to acquire the entertainment company in a massive $82.7 billion deal.
“We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood. It is in the best interests of the creative community, consumers and the movie theater industry,” Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said in a statement. “We believe they will benefit from the enhanced competition, higher content spend and theatrical release output, and a greater number of movies in theaters as a result of our proposed transaction.”
Ellison announced an all-cash tender offer, which the company said “provides superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion&#8221; to shareholders. Paramount&#8217;s proposed deal was also expected to close in 12 months, compared with Netflix&#8217;s 18 months.
The Paramount offer includes purchasing Warner Bros. cable television assets, which Paramount said are worth about $18 billion more than the Netflix bid. The company had previously made six offers to Warner Bros., only to be rejected each time. The press release noted that Warner Bros. &#8220;never engag[ed] meaningfully&#8221; with those offers.
This news comes not long after President Trump remarked on the Netflix deal, saying it “could be a problem” from an antitrust standpoint. The president also mentioned being “involved” in reviewing the deal.
Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a friend of President Trump and a major donor.
The proposed merger has had bipartisan pushback from skeptics who warn it could turn into a “nightmare” for consumers and creatives, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-faces-bipartisan-political-pushback?author=Reuters&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Netflix-Warner+Bros+Deal+Faces+Bipartisan+Political+Pushback">reported</a>. 
“Netflix built a great service, but increasing Netflix’s dominance this way would mean the end of the Golden Age of streaming for content creators and consumers,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote in a post on X.
“We’re highly confident in the regulatory process. This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it’s pro-creator, it’s pro-growth,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said after the deal was announced.

Paramount

Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid For Warner Bros. Days After Netflix Deal Announced

Business

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Netflix

Television

Warner Bros

President Donald Trump weighed in on the anticipated Netflix–Warner Bros. merger, saying the amount of market share Netflix would gain &#8220;could be a problem.&#8221;
Trump took questions from the red carpet at a Kennedy Center event over the weekend. Then on Monday, Paramount challenged Netflix with an aggressive bid of its own.
“Netflix is a great company. They’ve done a phenomenal job. Ted is a fantastic man,” he said of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, mentioning they met in the Oval Office last week. “I have a lot of respect for him, but it’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
When asked if Netflix should purchase Warner Bros., Trump replied, “Well that’s the question.”
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“They have a very big market share and when they have Warner Bros., you know, that share goes up a lot so, I don’t know,” the president added. “I’ll be involved in that decision, too. But they have a very big market share.”
The decision is expected to require approval by the Justice Department&#8217;s antitrust division. 
Paramount Skydance on Monday launched a bid to buy Warner Bros. Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a friend of President Trump and a major donor.
The all-cash offer was touted as being “superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion,” plus promised “$18 billion more in cash” compared to the Netflix offer, per a <a href="https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/paramount-launches-all-cash-tender-offer-acquire-warner-bros" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> shared on Monday.
Netflix announced on Friday that it would acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO, in a massive deal valued at $82.7 billion.
Netflix said Warner Bros.’ current method of operating, “including theatrical releases for films,” will continue in an apparent effort to quell fears from critics of the acquisition.
“I know some of you’re surprised that we’re making this acquisition, and I certainly understand why. Over the years, we have been known to be builders, not buyers,” Sarandos said during an investor call Friday morning, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros-in-massive-billion-dollar-deal">reported</a>.
“We already have incredible shows and movies and a great business model, and it’s working for talent, it’s working for consumers and it’s working for shareholders. This is a rare opportunity,” he said. “It’s going to help us achieve our mission to entertain the world and to bring people together through great stories.”
The acquisition is expected to close once Warner Bros. completes its planned spinoff from Discovery Global, meaning the deal would potentially finalize in the third quarter of 2026.

Trump Warns Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal ‘Could Be A Problem’

Trump Warns Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal 'Could Be A Problem'

Antitrust

It’s not in your imagination: children’s television has been overrun with LGBT themes, and Netflix is leading the charge, waving the rainbow flag right into your living room.
A <a href="https://concernedwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CWA-Netflix-Report.pdf">new report</a> from Concerned Women for America (CWA) confirms what many parents have long suspected about LGBT propaganda in kids’ entertainment. According to the study, one-third of all Netflix shows rated for children contain LGBTQ characters, themes, or messaging, and the percentage jumps to 41% in both TV-G and TV-Y7 categories.
In other words, the shows most aggressively marketed to the youngest viewers now routinely include sexual-identity content that would have been unthinkable in children’s entertainment just a decade ago.
Parents got a glimpse of this last October when a clip from the series “Dead End: Paranormal Park” went viral due to the main character “coming out” as transgender, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-says-he-will-cancel-netflix-subscription-over-trans-propaganda-aimed-at-children">reported</a>. 
Elon Musk amplified the video and urged users to “cancel Netflix.” Within hours, the platform lost an estimated $15 billion in value. But while many dismissed the situation as an isolated incident, the CWA report demonstrates that it was only the tip of the iceberg.
The research team examined 326 Netflix series rated TV-G, TV-Y, or TV-Y7 — categories traditionally meant to be free of sexual topics altogether. They then catalogued LGBT themes as explicit (openly identified characters), implied (queer-coded characters or storylines), meta (LGBT families on reality shows), or none.
Even among TV-Y shows, which are geared toward preschoolers, 21% of the programs introduce LGBT identity concepts. Shows such as “The Magic School Bus Rides Again” and “Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City” feature transgender, nonbinary, or “trans-coded” characters.
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CWA President and CEO Penny Nance, who leads the nation’s largest public policy organization for women, told The Daily Wire she was stunned by what the researchers uncovered. “I think I was most surprised that they had even targeted preschool children,” she said. “Over 20% of the programming aimed at the smallest viewers had LGBTQ themes included.”
For Nance, the numbers aren’t just data points, but a wake-up call for parents who thought age ratings provided a safeguard against adult content.
“Back in the day when my children were young, sometimes you need a reprieve from your day,” she explained. “You just need a few minutes, and you feel safe. You’ve done the work as a mom. … And yet, over all that content, at least 30% of it was LGBTQ themes.”
“The bottom line is the rating systems do not work,” she said. “You have the networks and the companies rating themselves … We have to go in a different direction because it’s absolutely insidious what they’re doing.”
Netflix and other major media companies often frame LGBT content as “representation.” But Nance rejects that narrative outright.
“I think their own content creators have been very clear on what their intent is,” she said. “It’s not as if they think that they’re not moving the needle in culture. They’ve been very forthright in what they’re planning to do.”
She points out the obvious discrepancy between the Netflix representation and actual population demographics. “You’ve got a very small percentage of the population, and yet the overall content that is being developed for little children is much larger than those numbers. … It’s overrepresenting.”
In May of this year, Netflix published a <a href="https://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii-2025-netflix-full-report.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">report</a> highlighting Netflix’s efforts to add diversity to its original films and series. The report bragged that “2023 was a standout year &#8230; over half (52.4%) of all [episodic] programs released in the year featured LGBTQ+ characters as 10% or more of series regulars.”
In 2023, roughly 60% of new children’s shows on Netflix included LGBTQ content. That’s six times the rate one would expect if the goal were simply mirroring population data.
Even more concerning, the spike in youth identification with LGBTQ labels aligns with the rise in this type of media. Among Gen Z, LGBTQ self-identification has jumped from 11% in 2017 to more than 20% in 2023, as the report notes.
The report also reveals a major inflection point around 2021, when LGBTQ representation suddenly spiked across kids’ shows.
“Remember, this is during COVID,” Nance said by way of explanation. “Children are out of school, at home … I think there was absolute intent on the part of the culture warriors and content creators to try to target children.”
That spike coincided with a rise in minors identifying as transgender, which is something Nance believes is not a coincidence. “It wasn’t just on the darkest corners of the internet,” she told The Daily Wire. “It was apparently in their parents’ living room.”
When parents raise concerns, they’re often brushed off as overreacting or hopelessly bigoted. But Nance insists their instincts are correct.
“Parents are being gaslit,” she said. “Anyone who’s ever paid for an ad knows that children and adults both are impressionable … Just basic common sense tells you that people are impressionable, and children are even more impressionable.”
She says Netflix and the broader entertainment industry have betrayed families: “Parents … are right to be on their guard. Unfortunately, Netflix has let them down, as has much of the industry.”
One of the findings in the report is how classic franchises, including “The Magic School Bus,” “She-Ra,” “Power Rangers,” and “The Baby-Sitters Club,” were rebooted to incorporate LGBTQ characters or themes for the first time.
“It is so sad that these incredible franchises … have been rewritten to have a bias toward left-wing ideology and gender ideology,” Nance said. 
When asked what parents should do in response to this report, Nance recommends vigilance and taking a firm stance on streaming services that have zero regard for conservative values. 
“I would recommend parents not allow their children to watch Netflix or other … streaming services that also offer adult content, she said, adding that the days of turning on any kids&#8217; show and walking away are long behind us. 
“[Parents] should not trust the rating system … The days of just checking the rating and feeling okay about it are over.”
Instead, she urges families to pivot toward platforms aligned with their values. “They should be really serious about seeking out alternative media, like all the children&#8217;s programming that you all offer at Daily Wire, Angel Studios. … We have got to … support the people who are doing the work in order to create content that we can support.”

Preschool Propaganda: Study Finds 41% of Netflix Kids Shows Include LGBT Themes

Children

LGBT

The Supreme Court takes up a case that could decide the future of so-called birthright citizenship, elected leaders in Minnesota are scrutinized for links to the state&#8217;s massive welfare scandal, and the announced Netflix-Warner Bros merger sends shockwaves through Hollywood.
It’s Monday, December 8, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251208">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump vs Birthright Citizenship</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1011047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Weighs-Citizenship-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Weighs-Citizenship-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Weighs-Citizenship-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Weighs-Citizenship-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Weighs-Citizenship-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/SCOTUS-Weighs-Citizenship.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Supreme Court will soon decide the fate of birthright citizenship in what could be a historic court case brought on by the Trump administration.
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that children born in the United States to illegal immigrants and other short-term visitors would no longer be considered American citizens.
That order was immediately challenged in multiple lower federal courts and subsequently put on hold. But on Friday, the White House got some major news: the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case and will decide on the constitutionality of birthright citizenship. A ruling is expected by this summer.
Preview: The case will hinge on the court’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
Supporters of birthright citizenship say that sentence includes virtually everyone born on U.S. soil, but opponents say those born to illegal immigrants are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States, and thus are not Americans.
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Essentially, the White House says birthright citizenship was originally a good-intentioned provision meant to extend citizenship to the children of former slaves after the Civil War.
But they argue it’s now been abused by millions of illegal immigrants and even tourists, who race across the border while pregnant to ensure their children will get citizenship. 
Lawyers for the White House argue that Trump’s executive order would simply “restore the clause’s original meaning.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Massive Minnesota Fraud</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1011049" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Welfare-Scandal-Widens-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Welfare-Scandal-Widens-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Welfare-Scandal-Widens-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Welfare-Scandal-Widens-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Welfare-Scandal-Widens-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Welfare-Scandal-Widens.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The Somali-linked welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota is now being tied to Democrat leaders in the state, drawing more attention from the Trump administration and Congress.
Catch up: Billions of tax dollars have been stolen in the state of Minnesota during the tenure of Democrat Gov. Tim Walz. City Journal reporting has uncovered that at least a billion dollars in welfare and social service schemes have largely been connected to the Somali community in Minnesota. Alarmingly, some of this money was allegedly <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/minnesota-welfare-fraud-somalia-al-shabaab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funneled</a> to Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
How could it be worse? Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller says the welfare fraud scheme is far worse than the American people think, involving “complicit” state government officials and totaling more stolen money than initial early estimates stated.
“We believe we have only scratched the very top of the surface of how deep this goes,” <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1997135207707615556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1997135207707615556%7Ctwgr%5E79d8d486c99e2a14a41c75308117655867895db2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fthe-somali-welfare-fraud-scandal-is-even-worse-than-you-think">said</a> Miller in an appearance on Fox News. “We believe the state government is fully complicit in this scheme, and we believe that what we are going to uncover is going to shock the American people.”
Miller also underscored the Somali ties to this fraud, connecting it to a larger conversation the nation is having about immigration from third-world countries.
“Seventy-five percent of the Somali population in Minnesota is on welfare, and that’s likely a significant undercount of just how much of a financial burden the Somali refugee population is imposing on this country,” <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1997135207707615556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1997135207707615556%7Ctwgr%5E79d8d486c99e2a14a41c75308117655867895db2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fthe-somali-welfare-fraud-scandal-is-even-worse-than-you-think">said</a> Miller.
Who knew what: Reporting from the New York Post has tied Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar to the scandal. Omar held parties at one of the key restaurants named, and she knew one of its owners, who is now convicted of stealing millions in funds. Additionally, one of her own staffers has been convicted of stealing millions. Omar even introduced the bill that led to $250 million in fraud.
“I just think that a lot of the COVID programs were set up so quickly that a lot of the guardrails did not get created,” Omar <a href="https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1996395142001864889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1996395142001864889%7Ctwgr%5Edaf0b98b351595e957decab8d8baed2dec55e0db%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Filhan-omar-says-trump-supporters-might-attack-somalis-brushes-off-fraud-scandal">told</a> CNN last week when asked about the fraud.
There have also been questions about Walz’s oversight. The Treasury Department is investigating this scandal, and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has announced a congressional investigation.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Netflix-Warner Bros Seismic Merger</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1011051" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Streaming-Studio-Shake-up-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Streaming-Studio-Shake-up-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Streaming-Studio-Shake-up-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Streaming-Studio-Shake-up-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Streaming-Studio-Shake-up-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Streaming-Studio-Shake-up.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: In a seismic shift for Hollywood, Netflix has struck an $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Brothers. The merger would potentially reshape the entertainment business for generations.
Announced just days ago, Netflix&#8217;s binding offer will give it not just Warner Bros the movie studio, but also streaming assets like HBO Max. And it&#8217;s gobbling up classics like Batman, Superman, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Looney Tunes, Friends, etc.
It’s being called one of the biggest, if not the biggest, mergers in Hollywood history. It comes after a bidding war that saw heavyweights like Paramount Skydance and Comcast get outmaneuvered or outspent by Netflix.
The Netflix angle: Netflix has been in a content arms race with Disney and Amazon. The Warner Bros. vault offers instant firepower.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos says it&#8217;ll “accelerate HBO Max growth” while blending Warner&#8217;s “theatrical expertise.” But many critics are concerned that this means Netflix will shorten theatrical windows and further decimate the moviegoing business.
That’s part of the reason many creatives hate this deal. During the bidding war, director James Cameron <a href="https://x.com/Todd_Spence/status/1996991743116591550?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Netflix&#8217;s acquisition of Warner Bros would be “a disaster” for the industry.
Batman director Christopher Nolan is representing the Directors Guild in meetings with Netflix to express concerns. Both the East and West Writers’ Guilds issued a joint statement unequivocally opposing the sale and asking regulators to block it.
Could it be blocked? There are already rumbles in Washington that the Trump administration doesn’t like this merger.
And opposition is bipartisan. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), chair of the antitrust subcommittee, said Netflix should “Buckle up for an intense antitrust hearing.” Meanwhile,  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has called the merger an “anti-monopoly nightmare,” warning that it could lead to higher subscription prices and fewer choices for consumers.
There’s no question that because Netflix is already the largest global streamer, adding Warner Bros. content and HBO Max subscribers would give it extraordinary dominance–over a third of the streaming market.
Netflix, though, already seems to be trying to soothe customer jitters. It sent a message to subscribers on Saturday night, repeatedly assuring them that their plans, fees, content access, and the separate operations of both Netflix and HBO Max will not change.

MRN_251208_V1

Morning Brief: Birthright Citizenship Showdown & Minnesota Fraud Firestorm

birthright citizenship

Ilhan Omar

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Stephen Miller

Supreme Court

Tim Walz

Some members of Congress on Friday deemed Netflix&#8217;s $82 billion proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery&#8217;s studios and streaming unit an antitrust &#8220;nightmare&#8221; for consumers and creatives, while the company touted the deal as driving value for viewers, workers and shareholders.
Netflix said the deal would create jobs and give its 300 million subscribers &#8220;more bang for their buck&#8221; by adding content at a time when President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is focused on lowering prices.
Nevertheless, Republicans in Congress have warned of potential antitrust problems with Netflix absorbing HBO Max and Warner Bros&#8217; content rights. Democrats including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren also criticized the transaction.
Warren said the deal &#8220;would create one massive media giant with control of close to half of the streaming market — threatening to force Americans into higher subscription prices and fewer choices over what and how they watch, while putting American workers at risk.&#8221;
Both Warren and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, who co-chairs the House Monopoly Busters Caucus, called the deal a &#8220;nightmare.&#8221;
&#8220;It would mean more price hikes, ads, &amp; cookie cutter content, less creative control for artists, and lower pay for workers,&#8221; she said in a post on social media site X.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, said the &#8220;proposed deal, and any other, should be closely scrutinized.&#8221;
While Netflix won the bidding war for Warner Bros studio and streaming assets, it has been the political underdog compared with David Ellison-led Paramount Skydance, which has close ties with the Trump administration.
Paramount is considering making an alternative takeover offer directly to Warner Bros shareholders, who have yet to vote on the Netflix deal, CNBC reported on Friday. Reuters could not verify the report.
As the process played out, Republicans in Congress warned that a Netflix acquisition would reduce choice for consumers and give Netflix an unacceptably high share of the streaming market.
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican who leads the antitrust committee, said a Netflix buy of Warner Bros Discovery&#8217;s streaming assets &#8220;should send alarm to antitrust enforcers around the world.&#8221;
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&#8220;Netflix built a great service, but increasing Netflix’s dominance this way would mean the end of the Golden Age of streaming for content creators and consumers,&#8221; Lee wrote in a post on X.
Last month, Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas and Representative Darrell Issa of California also called on U.S. antitrust enforcers to scrutinize any possible Netflix-Warner Bros deal, saying it could lead to fewer movies in theaters.
The deal, given its size alone, is likely to face significant antitrust review by the U.S. Department of Justice, and also because it would eliminate competition between HBO Max, which has 128 million subscribers, and Netflix.
Netflix could counter by pointing to shifting media habits and the fact that Alphabet&#8217;s YouTube has recently been the most popular way for Americans to watch TV.
&#8220;We&#8217;re highly confident in the regulatory process. This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it&#8217;s pro-creator, it&#8217;s pro-growth,&#8221; Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said after the deal was announced.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on Friday.
George Hay, a law professor at Cornell University, said the review will depend on how much of the content market Netflix would control after the deal, and whether or not it could be addressed by a partial sale of some assets.
&#8220;Warner Bros has a lot of content already in the can. So you can imagine spinning off some of that content to another supplier, maybe a Paramount or something like that as a way of ameliorating or diminishing the market share,&#8221; he said.
The deal will likely trigger intense antitrust scrutiny in the European Union due to the combined companies&#8217; market share. UNIC, the EU trade body representing cinema trade associations and operators covering 39 territories, said it will share its concerns and opposition to the deal with competition authorities.
The DOJ antitrust unit is led by Gail Slater, a former executive at Fox Corp and Roku. She was later an economic advisor to Vice President JD Vance.
Last month, Slater signaled that the &#8220;main thing&#8221; for her office is focusing on the average American&#8217;s biggest expenditures. Housing, transportation, food, healthcare and utilities lead the list, with entertainment in fifth place at 5% of household spending, according to a pie chart Slater posted on X.
But those entertainment costs have been rising. Netflix raised the price of its own standard ad-free plan by $2.50 to $17.99 a month in January. HBO Max followed suit, raising its ad-free service price last month by $1.50 to $18.49.
Trump has a history of getting involved in big media mergers and weighing in on one side. He actively lobbied the DOJ in his first term to stop AT&amp;T&#8217;s $85 billion purchase of Time-Warner, voicing concerns about media concentration and his own displeasure with Time-Warner&#8217;s CNN cable network. AT&amp;T ultimately won in court in 2018 and 2019.
Warren warned on Friday against political favoritism tainting the deal review process.
&#8220;The Justice Department must enforce our nation’s anti-monopoly laws fairly and transparently — not use the Warner Bros. deal review to invite influence-peddling and bribery,&#8221; she said.
(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York, Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Chris Sanders, Franklin Paul, Nick Zieminski and Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)

Netflix-Warner Bros Deal Faces Bipartisan Political Pushback

Movies

U.S.

Streaming giant Netflix <a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros">announced</a> on Friday that it will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO, in a massive deal valued at $82.7 billion.
Netflix said Warner Bros.&#8217; current method of operating, “including theatrical releases for films,” will continue in an apparent effort to quell fears from critics of the acquisition.
“I know some of you’re surprised that we’re making this acquisition, and I certainly understand why. Over the years, we have been known to be builders, not buyers,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during an investor call Friday morning.
“We already have incredible shows and movies and a great business model, and it’s working for talent, it’s working for consumers and it’s working for shareholders. This is a rare opportunity,” he said. “It’s going to help us achieve our mission to entertain the world and to bring people together through great stories.”
Sarandos said in the official statement that the mission of Netflix “has always been to entertain the world.” 
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies—from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends—with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we&#8217;ll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” the entertainment exec added. 
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Co-CEO of Netflix Greg Peters expressed similar thoughts, saying, “This acquisition will improve our offering and accelerate our business for decades to come…with our global reach and proven business model, we can introduce a broader audience to the worlds they create—giving our members more options, attracting more fans to our best-in-class streaming service, strengthening the entire entertainment industry and creating more value for shareholders.”
The acquisition is expected to close once Warner Bros. completes its planned spinoff from Discovery Global, meaning the deal would potentially finalize in the third quarter of 2026. Netflix <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-hollywood-1236443081/">will pay</a> a $5.8 billion reverse break-up fee if the deal doesn’t go through, while Warner Bros. agreed to pay $2.8 billion if it opts to back out.
“Today’s announcement combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love to watch the most,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. “For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped our culture. By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come.”

Netflix To Acquire Warner Bros. In Massive Billion Dollar Deal

Netflix Will Acquire Warner Bros. In Deal Mega $82.7 Billion Deal

Hollywood

The Pentagon has come out against a new Netflix series aimed at promoting LGBT themes. “Boots,” based on a memoir titled &#8220;The Pink Marine,&#8221; is <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81427990">about</a> a gay “bullied teen” who “impulsively” joins the U.S. Marine Corps and “finds new purpose — and unexpected brotherhood — with his motley team of fellow recruits.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson released a statement on the series, saying a person’s sexuality is not relevant in this administration’s effort to strengthen our military.
&#8220;Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos. Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn&#8217;t care if you&#8217;re a man, a woman, gay, or straight,&#8221; a statement given to Entertainment Weekly <a href="https://ew.com/pentagon-slams-netflix-gay-military-drama-boots-11831105">said</a>.
Kingsley confirmed that officials &#8220;will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.&#8221;
Hegseth made waves during a September speech to his top military leaders after sharing new directives for the War Department, including the news that every military branch will ensure that requirements for combat positions return to “the highest male standard.”
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“This job is life or death,” he said at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-done-with-that-sht-trump-hegseth-demand-excellence-from-military-brass?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98We+Are+Done+With+That+Sh*t%E2%80%99%3A+Trump%2C+Hegseth+Demand+Excellence+From+Military+Brass">reported</a>. “Standards must be met … it’s common sense and core to who we are and what we do.”
Hegseth also noted that the military would no longer focus on ideology-driven initiatives left over from the Biden years, noting that their department is “done with that s***” and there will be no more “identity months, DEI offices, [and] dudes in dresses.”
“Boots,” which stars Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga, premiered October 9 and has been ranking in Netflix’s top 10 viewed charts ever since. The series is critical of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy from the 90s that required recruits to keep their sexual identity secret.

Miles Hezier

‘Woke Garbage’: Pentagon Blasts New Netflix Series About Gay Marine

Marines

Military

Pete Hegseth

Social Issues

Netflix stock went down 2.4% following Elon Musk announcing earlier this week that he was canceling his subscription.
The billionaire Tesla founder made the proclamation on X Tuesday after clips of multiple children’s shows available on the platform started going viral. These animated shows, which were targeted at kids ages 7 and up, included explicitly LGBT storylines. One of the most egregious examples, “Dead End Paranormal Park,” included a cartoon character who identified as transgender.
&#8220;Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,&#8221; Musk instructed his X followers.
Besides saying he was canceling Netflix, the SpaceX CEO reposted a meme of Netflix smuggling in a “transgender woke agenda” via a Trojan horse.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids <a href="https://t.co/uPcGiURaCp">https://t.co/uPcGiURaCp</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1973292474375479556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Following the clips going viral, Netflix stock dropped, and was down 2.4% as of Friday, per <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/10/02/netflix-stock-drops-again-now-down-24-since-musks-call-for-cancellations/">Forbes</a>. Many X users flooded the platform with screenshots of proof that they had canceled their subscriptions. Netflix shares are down 4.4% in the last five days of trading, the outlet noted.
Shares for the streaming platform have recently been on an upward trend, rising 30% since the beginning of last year. But Musk’s calls for a boycott did seem to make an impact, and social media users are celebrating.
The offending television show wasn’t just one isolated incident. Clips have been circulating all over X highlighting LGBT themes in Netflix content aimed at young children. Another clip going viral is part of the animated show “Ridley Jones,” which includes Fred, the non-binary cow, fretting over using a “different name and pronouns” for the first time since last seeing his grandmother.
In the animated show “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” two women share a passionate kiss.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Unbelievable.
Netflix is using a children’s cartoon, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, to push same-sex sexual relationships and the LGBTQ agenda.
This is the blatant sexual indoctrination of innocent children.
Boycott Netflix. <a href="https://t.co/pe30azv6Qm">pic.twitter.com/pe30azv6Qm</a>
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1973834468168245532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“CoComelon Lane” is also listed as one of the shows inspiring the boycott as it features a little boy wearing a princess dress for his two gay “dads.”
The animated show &#8220;Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City&#8221; promotes transgender drag queens to kids.
Chaya Raichik, who runs the popular account Libs of TikTok, has been leading the charge to expose the content of these shows and has been reposting screenshots of users proving they canceled their Netflix subscriptions, too.
She also noted that Hamish Steele, the trans-identified creator of the show “Dead End Paranormal Park,” made vulgar comments on Bluesky following the assassination of Charlie Kirk last month.

Netflix Stock Drops Following Boycott Over Trans Content For Kids

boycott

Elon Musk

LGBTQ

Transgender

Elon Musk confirmed that he would cancel his Netflix subscription after clips of animated shows aimed at children featuring pro-trans content started circulating on X.
Musk posted on X, “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,” on Wednesday, which included a cartoon of the “transgender woke agenda” inside a Trojan horse.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids <a href="https://t.co/uPcGiURaCp">https://t.co/uPcGiURaCp</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1973292474375479556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The billionaire Tesla founder also <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1973101319222165785">commented</a> “Same” to someone on X who wrote, “Just cancelled my Netflix subscription. If you employ someone who celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk and makes content that pushes pro-trans content on my kids&#8230;you will NEVER get a dime of my money. It&#8217;s as simple as that.”
This was after clips from multiple shows marketed to children ages seven and up were being shared on X. The short-lived series “Dead End Paranormal Park,” a Netflix original that aired 20 episodes across two seasons in 2022, featured a storyline in which the main character claimed to be transgender.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
OMG. Dead End Paranormal Park, a show on Netflix, is pushing pro-transgender on CHILDREN.
This show is advertised for 7-YEAR-OLDS
It’s being promoted on <a href="https://twitter.com/netflix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@netflix</a> kids now.
Parents- BEWARE <a href="https://t.co/gh5UZftKns">pic.twitter.com/gh5UZftKns</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1972756249986126260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Another clip going viral was part of the animated show “Ridley Jones,” which includes Fred, the non-binary cow, fretting over using a “different name and pronouns” for the first time since last seeing his grandmother.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
ANOTHER kids&#8217; show on Netflix is pushing pro-trans propaganda with the use of pronouns
This show, Ridley Jones, is targeted towards 7-YEAR-OLDS
Parents, do you know what your children are watching? <a href="https://t.co/YMFpWf7qwk">pic.twitter.com/YMFpWf7qwk</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1973050371300868281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Chaya Raichik, who runs the popular account Libs of TikTok, has been leading the charge to expose the content of these shows and has been reposting many screenshots of users proving they canceled their Netflix subscriptions, too. 
She also noted that Hamish Steele, the trans-identified creator of the show “Dead End Paranormal Park,” made vulgar comments on Bluesky following the assassination of Charlie Kirk last month.
“Why the f*** are you even commenting on this d***head? You [sic] sympathy for any of the families being slaughtered by your weapons but a random nazi gets shot and its a public statement. You’re such a f***ing evil sh**,” Steele’s alleged message said.
The post has since been deleted, but screenshots allegedly show Steele was replying to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, offering condolences after Kirk’s murder.
Steele has addressed the controversy in a few posts on Bluesky, writing, 
“It&#8217;s all lies and slander! Netflix is NOT promoting [the show] at the moment!” 
A few hours later, the series creator wrote, “I have mostly been very ok today and found it all quite funny, while really appreciating everyone who has reached out, but the extremely nasty weird [homophobic] and antisemitic emails have started rolling in and it is getting a little scary so I apologise if I take longer to respond to stuff.” 
Steele also referenced backlash following the surfacing of the post about Kirk, writing, “My Instagram comments are now flooded with replies saying I AM CHARLIE KIRK and that I celebrated his death (which I never did).”

Elon Musk Says He Will Cancel Netflix Subscription Over Trans Propaganda Aimed At Children

Elon Musk, Others Say They're Canceling Netflix Over Trans Propaganda Aimed At Children

Animation

Libs of Tik Tok

There’s a new documentary about Jussie Smollett on Netflix, and as expected, the disgraced actor is still trying to claim his innocence.
“The Truth About Jussie Smollett??” has two question marks in its title on purpose, and the director says the aim of the project is to cast doubt and let viewers form their own conclusions.
“You can tilt it one way [and] it will look like one thing,” documentary filmmaker Gagan Rehill <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/jussie-smollett-truth-in-new-netflix-documentary-1236348143/">told</a> The Hollywood Reporter of the project. “You can tilt it another and there’s another story behind it.”
“I want … viewers to have a conversation, a debate about that themselves,” he added. “That’s part of the documentary for me — the after conversation, the aftermath of watching it. For that reason, I’m sort of taking myself out of the equation in terms of where I land.”
Smollett told police on January 29, 2019, that he was attacked by two men in Chicago at 2 a.m., who he claimed made racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck, poured an “unknown substance” on him, and yelled that this is “MAGA country.” It was later found that Smollett had hired two Nigerian brothers to help him stage the attack.
The “Empire” star was convicted on five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021 and spent just six days in jail after appealing his 150-day sentence. Smollett was charged with 16 counts of lying to police, but those charges were dropped.
In November 2024, Smollett’s conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court, which also deemed he could not be retried.
Smollett has insisted upon his innocence all along.
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“As an entertainer, as a businessman, I probably should [stop fighting the charges],” Smollett told Entertainment Tonight during a 2024 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-says-he-spent-3m-appealing-hoax-case-maintains-his-original-story?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Jussie+Smollett+Says+He+Spent+%243M+Appealing+Hoax+Case%2C+Maintains+His+Original+Story">interview</a>.
“But as a human being and as a man, as a black man and as an openly gay black man, I have a problem with letting them win on something they shouldn’t be able to,” the actor continued. “I’m a grown man and something happened. I can’t tell exactly what did happen, but I can tell you what did not happen. That’s what I have to sit on. No matter how much people are yelling in my face, saying ‘You’re a liar, you’re a liar.’ No, I’m not. No, I’m not. I don’t want them to believe that, but if that is what they believe, that’s on you.”
Rehill also claimed that the truth is “up to interpretation” and may depend on which news channel you tune into.
“This film is about whether you believe Jussie or not, but it’s also about a reaction to [the news coverage of his case] as well,” Rehill told THR. “It’s just very interesting that people’s trust in mainstream media and in the police has been eroded so much that they have to open the door to alternate truths, or alternate results or verdicts.”
&#8220;Every single other person’s story has changed multiple times. Mine has never,&#8221; Smollett told Variety in a new interview. &#8220;I saw firsthand how narratives are built. I saw firsthand the way that someone can take the exact opposite of who you are and literally sell it.&#8221;
“The Truth About Jussie Smollett??” is currently streaming on Netflix.

Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett Is Still Whining That He’s Innocent In New Netflix Documentary

Documentaries

Fitness influencer Jillian Michaels is not pleased with her portrayal in a new documentary about the reality competition show “The Biggest Loser.”
“Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser” debuted on Netflix on August 15 and became an instant hit. The three-part limited series explored incidents from behind the scenes at NBC’s popular reality series, which featured overweight contestants vying to lose the most weight and win a cash prize. Michaels was a trainer on the series for several seasons, but did not participate in the Netflix documentary. 
Now the fitness expert is breaking her silence on some of the allegations made in the documentary by former co-host Bob Harper, former medical consultant Dr. Robert Huizenga, and former contestants. 
Michaels shared her thoughts on the allegations through a series of social media posts. The first showed alleged email communication about supplying contestants with caffeine pills, which the workout coach said was done with the full support of both Harper and Huizenga.
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 “Wild how some folks still lie like it’s 1985 before texts and email were a thing,” Michaels wrote in one of the posts, saying her co-host and the medical consultant “not only knew about the caffeine pills,” but approved of them being used. 
“Caffeine was NEVER banned on The Biggest Loser,” she added.  
In a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNi3TDhJLt8/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">second post</a>, Michaels responded to “the allegation that I restricted contestants from eating enough calories” by sharing “direct written correspondence” from Season 11 winner Olivia Ward. 
The email shows Michaels instructing Ward to “eat 1600 [calories] tomorrow,” directly contradicting contestant Suzanne Mendonca’s claim in the documentary that she and others were restricted to just 800 calories per day.
A third Instagram post refuted the claim about something Michaels allegedly said during the show’s finale.
“In response to the claim in the documentary that I told a contestant at the show’s finale, ‘You’re going to make me a millionaire,’ I want to state unequivocally that this is false,” she wrote. “The full moment was captured on camera, and both the contestant and I were wearing microphones. If such a comment had been made, it would exist on the audio record.”
“Furthermore, two of the show’s executive producers, Mark Koops and Dave Broome, have each provided written statements in text messages to my business partner confirming that this exchange never occurred,” the post went on. “For clarity, below are their texts verifying that no such comment was ever made.”
Michaels also <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/08/19/jillian-michaels-interview-documentary-lawsuit/">told</a> TMZ on Tuesday that the docuseries is “filled with so many lies, and, of course, I have the emails and the text messages to back all this up.”
She told the outlet that she was meeting with her lawyer to potentially pursue legal action against Netflix, Harper, and Huizenga.

Jillian Michaels

Fitness Guru Jillian Michaels Blasts Her Portrayal In ‘Biggest Loser’ Documentary, Brings Receipts

Jillian Michaels Blasts Her Portrayal In 'Biggest Loser' Documentary, Brings Receipts

Celebrities

Reality TV

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not have their multi-year deal with Netflix renewed when it expires in September, according to a <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/royals/35969847/prince-harry-meghan-netflix-deal-axed/">report</a> from The Sun.
The royal couple has launched several projects with the streaming giant since the announcement of their $100 million deal in 2020. These specials and shows have had varying degrees of success, with the 2022 docuseries “Harry &amp; Meghan” remaining the most popular among them. 
Meanwhile, other projects, such as Prince Harry’s “Polo” and Markle’s lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan,” have failed to capture the attention of Netflix’s audience. In a recent <a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-the-first-half-of-2025">Engagement Report</a> put out by the streamer, the “Polo” documentary was listed as number 3,436 on the list of shows ranked by most-watched, while Markle’s new series came in at number 383.
A second season of “With Love, Meghan” has already been filmed and is set to debut in September. Her first <a href="https://people.com/chrissy-teigen-appear-season-2-meghan-markle-netflix-series-with-love-meghan-11736557">confirmed</a> guest star is Chrissy Teigen.
“There’s no animosity from either side,” an unnamed source told The Sun of Netflix’s decision not to renew the contract. “Things have just run their course.”
The insider also discussed why “Harry &amp; Meghan” was the most successful project so far. 
“Netflix were clever in that they got a hell of a lot of viewers for the first documentary series, and knew, realistically, it would prove the zenith of content from the Montecito pair,&#8221; the source said, noting that the partnership ending represents a &#8220;huge loss of revenue.&#8221;
“They’re not unhappy with how things turned out — they got those initial hits, and produced one of the most talked-about shows of all time,&#8221; the insider added. 
Prince Harry and Markle have had a hard time achieving fame and success in the United States after quitting their full-time working royal roles in 2020 and moving to California permanently. Critics have been vocal in their distaste, as reflected on social media after news of the Netflix partnership&#8217;s end came to light.
“Good. The grifters are out of business,” one person <a href="https://x.com/TerryinSoCalif/status/1948052133389213733">wrote</a>, echoing what many others were saying.
“I am only surprised that Netflix thought this was a good business decision in the first place,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/julie_mcbane/status/1947997610658128182">observed</a>.
“Thank goodness. Insufferable fools,” a third agreed.
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Harry and Meghan

Netflix Pulls Plug On $100M Deal With Prince Harry And Meghan Markle

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's $100M Netflix Deal Not Getting Renewed

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry

Royal Family

World

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