Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos allegedly met with President Donald Trump at the White House weeks before the streaming platform’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
According to Bloomberg, people with knowledge of the meeting revealed that the two met in November and discussed the then-ongoing auction of WB. The anonymous sources claim Trump stated that Warner Bros. Discovery should make a deal with the highest bidder, which Sarandos reportedly agreed with.
The streaming platform’s chief kept their conversation in mind while ironing out the details for the company’s own bid. Sarandos pushed for his offer, arguing that Netflix was not a power-hungry entity attempting a hostile takeover of the entertainment industry. He also pointed out that Netflix had faced several setbacks, including a period of subscriber losses, to highlight that the streaming service isn’t invincible either.
Sarandos added that Netflix lacks both broadcast networks and cable channels, and explained how its competitors expand far beyond the streaming sector. He estimated that his company only ranks fifth or sixth in its field, and acquiring Warner Bros. would keep them in the game with major streamers such as YouTube.
After his conversation with President Trump, he walked away believing the White House wasn’t going to push back against Netflix’s potential deal, despite what Paramount Skydance Corp had to say about it. In Sarandos’ opinion, the studio was being a little bit too arrogant about where they stand, and that was likely why they lost the bidding war.
On December 5, 2025, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery announced their new deal. The streaming platform paid $82.7 billion to acquire one of the oldest studios in Hollywood and HBO. This acquisition is reportedly one of the biggest media transactions in history.
However, this new deal was met with a lot of protests, with many people and organizations in the entertainment industry speaking out against it. Celebrities such as Jane Fonda condemned Warner Bros. for selling out to Netflix. The Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and Producers Guild of America all had nothing but negative things to say about the ordeal. SAG-AFTRA tried to be semi-diplomatic, but it still had its concerns about what this purchase would do to the future of the film industry.
- founded
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January 16, 2007
- founders
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Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph
