OPINION:
Sometime next year, one of the last vestiges of great filmmaking is expected to die out, as Netflix is poised to complete its buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery. The great woke takeover of Hollywood is nearly complete.
Yet President Trump is poised to throw a wrench in these plans. The Netflix takeover is so unpopular that it has earned some enemies even on the left.
Warner has produced some of the greatest films of all time. From “Casablanca” to the “Harry Potter” movies, the studio has produced films that define cinema.
Netflix, on the other hand, is known for producing a steady stream of forgettable flicks, unsuccessful franchises and woke screeds.
The next generation of viewers is already losing interest in cinema because of the supersaturation of the film market with tired remakes and monotonous sequels. Add to that the constant woke virtue signaling in nearly every movie today, and it’s easy to see why young people are looking elsewhere for entertainment.
With Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner, unoriginal and liberal streaming services will have taken away one of the last studios still able to make great films for this generation.
Thankfully, Mr. Trump has expressed concern about the deal, indicating he may be open to stepping in to stop a monopolistic power grab. At the same time, Paramount, which has offered more to shareholders than Netflix has from the start, is mounting a hostile takeover bid for Warner, potentially disrupting Netflix’s plans to conquer the film industry.
Paramount’s bid to purchase is a little different from Netflix’s. Paramount also wants to buy CNN, which Warner currently owns. Paramount CEO David Ellison has promised Mr. Trump “sweeping changes” at the network should his company’s bid win out.
“I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace. I think it’s imperative that CNN be sold,” Mr. Trump said.
Even on the brink of a massive win for woke media, streaming service tycoons are quaking in their boots. This deal could backfire spectacularly. Netflix could not only lose its bid but also lose in the broader war over what kinds of content major studios put out.
Mr. Trump has said he would be involved in the process of approving the deal because a Netflix takeover of Warner would mean the streaming platform would own a staggering portion of the film market. The president says the merger “could be a problem.”
“They have a very big market share,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Netflix. “And when they have Warner Bros., you know, that share goes up a lot.”
Indeed, the antitrust angle for the merger may kill the entire deal, as monopolies have earned the distrust of liberals too. Although Netflix’s political motivations may align with the left, the idea that one company would own such a large percentage of the market share has some Democrats, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, saying the deal “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.”
It may be well past Christmas before we know what will happen to Warner. However, the future of great filmmaking depends on studios maintaining their independence from woke streaming services that charge exorbitant monthly fees for increasingly lower-quality movies.
The fact that Mr. Trump has stepped into the fray is a positive sign for anyone who wants better content and hopes to counter Hollywood’s far-left shift.
• Cathie Adams is the first vice president of the Eagle Forum, former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas and president of Texas Eagle Forum.
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