As Ted Sarandos endured hours of questioning from the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee about Netflix’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros., several of the Hollywood guilds renewed their concerns with lawmakers regarding any potential sale of the storied studio.
As might have been expected from their initial reactions to the deal announcement in December, none offered a glowing endorsement.
“Both proposed transactions raise significant issues that impact stakeholders across the media sector, including our members,” the Directors Guild of America (DGA) stated.
The union’s president, Christopher Nolan, recently confirmed to Deadline and other media outlets that the guild has met with both Netflix and Paramount—the latter having launched a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. While the DGA is still “not taking a formal position on the merger,” leadership felt compelled to share their “concerns.”
### Shared Concerns Across Hollywood Guilds
All three major guilds largely pointed to the same issues, chiefly the job losses and reduction in competition expected with any major media consolidation.
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) warned:
“Reduced competition results in lower compensation and fewer opportunities for producers, creators, and other workers. And when a smaller number of companies control what gets made and what gets seen, fewer ideas reach the public.”
### The PGA’s Requests to Lawmakers
The PGA presented some specific, though somewhat broad, requests to the antitrust subcommittee, urging lawmakers to secure guarantees for:
– An increase in domestic production
– A minimum 45-60 day theatrical window
– A meaningful percentage of productions from independent producers and third parties
– Strong pro-competitive and pro-free speech conditions
### The Writers Guild’s Strongest Opposition
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) East and West submitted the most detailed and scathing prepared statements, laying out over multiple pages why they believe any acquisition of Warner Bros. by a rival “will harm workers, consumers, and competition in the media industry.”
Their joint statement further argued that the “existing level of consolidation and vertical integration in the media industry is already unacceptable and demands scrutiny.”
Beyond calling for thorough examination and, ideally, blocking the deals, the WGA urged lawmakers to “explore creative solutions” to address existing problems in the media industry—including placing limits on streaming services’ ability to own the content on their platforms.
“Failing to act will allow streaming services to dictate what stories are told, and permit media conglomerates to exercise their economic power as political power,” the WGA added.
### Key Questions Facing Lawmakers
The ongoing debate raises important questions about how the sale might affect various stakeholders:
1. **Impact on Audiences**
How will the sale affect what stories consumers get to see, where they can watch them, at what price, and for how long content will be available?
2. **Protection Through Merger Conditions: Operating Independently**
How might merger conditions protect consumers, American workers, and the communities that depend on film and television production if the buyer maintains and operates Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) divisions independently following the acquisition?
3. **Protection Through Merger Conditions: Commissioning and Licensing Practices**
How might merger conditions safeguard stakeholders if the buyer must continue to commission, license, distribute, and market films and television from third-party producers at current levels?
4. **Continued Third-Party Production**
How might conditions protect consumers and workers if WBD’s divisions continue producing film and television for third parties after the sale at current levels?
5. **Preserving the Theatrical Experience**
How might merger conditions protect the communal experience of watching movies in theaters—as a vital community hub and means of strengthening neighborhood connections—if the buyer commits to maintaining a significant theatrical exhibition window?
6. **Fair Market Licensing Practices**
How might the marketplace benefit if the buyer is required to develop the capacity to negotiate and price internal licenses at fair market values, as if negotiations were occurring at arm’s length between competitors, similar to other media companies?
7. **Collective Bargaining Rights in News and Sports Divisions**
If WBD’s news and sports divisions remain part of the combined company, how should collective bargaining rights be protected in the new entity?
8. **Offshoring and Cost Reduction Concerns**
What conditions might mitigate the likelihood of the buyer offshoring production to reduce costs, especially to relieve debt?
9. **Support for Workforce Training and Smaller Productions**
How will the sale affect the pipeline for workforce training programs and small- to mid-size productions that train the next generation of filmmakers?
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As the Senate Judiciary subcommittee continues its hearings, these issues remain central to the debate over Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. and the future of the American media landscape. Lawmakers and industry stakeholders alike are watching closely as the decision could reshape how stories are told and consumed for years to come.
https://deadline.com/2026/02/hollywood-guild-concerns-warner-bros-sale-senate-antitrust-1236708111/