By Jennifer Asencio | Published
This week, Netflix announced that it had won Warner Bros.’ bid to buy it. Discovery and all of its properties, including streaming service HBO Max and the DC Cinematic Universe. The merger will cost Netflix $82.7 billion and will bring together two media giants.
Across Hollywood, to borrow from Obi-Wan Kenobi, “millions of voices cried out in terror.” Several professional organizations representing various roles supporting film and television production have spoken out against the merger. These support jobs include everything from directors, writers, and producers to the sound effects manager, makeup department, and even the people who drive actors to and from the set. They all agree on one thing: the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger. will be terrible for their jobs.
The people who create your content want it to stop
The Writers Guild of America has been the most vocal, saying the merger “must be blocked.” The union argued that this would raise prices for consumers while eliminating jobs and reducing the quality of production. The WGA is the creative arm of filmmaking, representing all screenwriters and screenwriters. Without them, there are no new ideas. The WGA fears that the merger will reduce the variety of content offered and stifle the diversity of opinions.
The Teamsters union represents drivers, location scouts and clerks, casting directors, animal wrestlers and many other odd jobs that are part of making a movie. The organization called the move “antitrust” and demanded “opposition at all levels of government” on behalf of these workers, saying consolidation would reduce the number of jobs available in the industry.
The Directors Guild of America was the first to speak out, citing “significant concerns” but choosing not to act without more information. DGA representatives are meeting with Netflix to get more details about Netflix’s plans for the century-old film studio.
The Producers Guild is a non-union professional organization, so it does not hold any bargaining power like the WGA and DGA do. He still has his own concerns about the merger and disappearance of historic studios. “Our existing studios are more than just content libraries,” the organization said in a statement. “In their coffers lies the character and culture of our nation.”
The theater industry is also against the WB Netflix merger
Cinema United was almost as loud as the WGA. The theater industry trade group called the merger “an unprecedented threat to the global exhibition sector.” Netflix has historically been frugal in its use of movie theaters, limiting the number of its theatrical releases and their longevity in theaters before they can be found solely on the streaming service. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said nothing would change with WB’s theatrical releases, but that hasn’t stopped theater chains, still recovering from COVID lockdowns, from worrying about the merger’s implications.
Not long ago, Netflix was just a service that sent users rented DVDs through the mail. Today, it has become a leading entity in entertainment, dictating how the entire industry does business. This has already put Blockbuster Video out of business; Will movie theaters be the next victims of Netflix’s paradigm shift? If unions and their allies fail to stop the Netflix-Warner Bros Discovery merger, it may not be long before we find out.
