Overview
- A cross-party group of roughly 18 senior figures sent a letter to CMA chief Sarah Cardell pressing for a full investigation of Netflix’s proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and streaming assets.
- Signatories including former culture secretaries Chris Smith, Oliver Dowden and Karen Bradley, and former BBC director-general Tony Hall warned the merger could entrench dominance, raise prices and limit consumer choice.
- The letter flags risks to British cinema and independent production, urging binding commitments on theatrical windows and cautioning Netflix could bring more production in-house via Warner Bros. Television Studios and the Leavesden facility.
- The CMA declined to comment, and Netflix said it is engaging with regulators in all relevant jurisdictions and remains highly confident the deal is pro-consumer.
- The offer faces parallel reviews and a rival bid, with EU enforcers expected to assess competing proposals concurrently and Paramount’s David Ellison recently meeting UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy to discuss industry issues.