Netflix’s proposed $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. may face a tougher regulatory path than expected, and a newly revealed meeting between Netflix leadership and President Donald Trump is drawing fresh attention.
According to new reports from Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met privately with President Trump in November to discuss the potential deal. During the conversation, Trump reportedly said Warner Bros. should sell to “the highest bidder.” Sarandos left the meeting believing the White House would not immediately oppose the acquisition.
Following the initial reports, Trump publicly confirmed that the meeting took place. He praised Netflix and Sarandos, calling the company “a great company” and its executive “a fantastic man,” but added a cautionary note:
“It’s a lot of market share, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Meanwhile, internal tensions reportedly existed at Warner Bros. Discovery. CEO David Zaslav was reluctant to sell, and was caught off-guard when Paramount emerged as a potential buyer. Zaslav had expected any move from Paramount CEO David Ellison to come only after Warner Bros. completed a planned split of its movie and streaming division from its cable networks.
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Instead, Warner Bros. opened the door to competing bids, a move that escalated the process and allowed Netflix to win. Still, Paramount may not be out of the race, as it could pursue a hostile bid.
This story has been updated with Trump’s comments.
