Netflix acquires Warner Bros. for $83 billion
Netflix has announced that it is acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. The deal is worth $82.7 Billion.
This is a massive acquisition considering that Warner Bros. has tons of big name IPs including the DC Comics universe, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones to name a few.
Now, the most obvious question is, what's going to happen to HBO Max? Will Netflix let it continue as a separate service? Or will the content from it be merged into Netflix's platform? If the latter happens, it could result in a price increase for Netflix plans.
Netflix's announcement states that HBO and HBO Max "provide a compelling, complementary offering for consumers. Netflix expects to maintain Warner Bros. current operations and build on its strengths, including theatrical releases for films."
(Image courtesy: Netflix)
This is a sound business strategy. While merging Max and Netflix even at a slightly higher cost might attract more users, it could have an adverse effect on the current user base. It is way more profitable to let both platforms continue independently, which is what they are planning. And not releasing movies in theaters would be a financial disaster, so it's good that they are not making movies "Netflix-only".
Netflix will also gain access to WB Games, and its plethora of studios such as Traveller's Tales which made the Lego Games, Rocksteady Studios which developed the Batman Arkham series, NetherRealm Studios of Mortal Kombat fame, Avalanche Software which made Hogwarts Legacy. Sure they had some flops like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but they had way more hits. It would be interesting to see the future of WB Games. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is coming in 2026, but I'd love to see a new Batman Arkham game, while Arkham Origins, Asylum, and City were great, Arkham Knight was incredible. Hogwarts Legacy 2 is also said to be under development.
FYI, Spotify will soon get a price hike in the U.S., because music labels are not happy with the low prices of Spotify and Netflix as opposed to the competition. So, there is a chance we could see a Netflix price hike too. And in case you missed it, the streaming service no longer lets users cast from phones.
Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be completed in 2026, after approval from antitrust authorities.
If it’s not on Netflix it’s probably false advertising.
The content is fresh, has at least something for everyone, but I need to ask,
The buffering is free, right?
My romantic life may have stalled, but Netflix…she lives on. so buy
a ticket to stay home and enjoy,
Don’t care about corporate acquisitions because Netflix could raise prices again and I’d still stay.
My only caution is that sometimes, bNetflix and sleep don’t get along very well.’
Reality: “The deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix, agreed to by the boards of both companies, is tentative and has yet to receive approval under the federal government’s antitrust review process.” Keyword = tentative.
Meanwhile, Paramount made an $108 billion all-cash offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.”
Why the deal doesn’t make much business sense for NFLX:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2025/12/07/netflix-stock-up-13-why-827-billion-wbd-buy-makes-nflx-a-sell/
Basically, NFLX can’t afford WBD, either financially or in time. Costly error, which shows in current market reaction.
Perhaps Amazon is waiting to buy Netflix.
What is the deal amount? It says $ 83 billion in title but $ 82.7 million in the article. The difference is huge.
It is billions, sorry for the mistake!