"Questioning how Netflix competes with rivals suggests the department is looking at whether its planned Warner deal could entrench its market power, or lead to a monopoly in the future. U.S. law gives enforcers broad power to oppose mergers that could lead to a monopoly."
"In reality, the Trump administration has made it extremely clear they're hoping to scuttle the Netflix deal to help Larry Ellison acquire Warner Brothers, CNN, and HBO. If they can't kill the deal, they aspire to at least leverage the merger approval process to force Netflix executives to further debase themselves before the Trump administration, which I suspect they'll all be happy to do."
"It's part of a longstanding trend by Trumpism to pretend that they're engaged in populist antitrust reform, claims historically propped up by a long list of useful idiots across the partisan spectrum, and parroted by a growing coalition of right wing propaganda outlets. This bogus populism helps obfuscate what's really just some of the worst corruption America has ever seen (which is really saying something)."
The DOJ has initiated a broad investigation of Netflix's business practices and its planned $82.7 billion merger with Warner Brothers. The probe cites concerns about media consolidation and potential future monopoly power under U.S. antitrust law. The administration's true aim is described as scuttling the Netflix-Warner deal to benefit Larry Ellison's bid for Warner Brothers, CNN, and HBO, or to leverage the approval process to extract concessions from Netflix executives. The situation is framed as part of a broader Trump-era pattern of feigned populist antitrust rhetoric that masks political corruption and preferential treatment of rival bidders and legacy powers.
Read at Above the Law
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