'A huge win for Trump administration': Netflix backs out of deal to acquire Warner Brothers

What this episode is about

Netflix exits its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, with Paramount Skydance emerging as the superior offer, while industry observers note strategic concerns about Warner’s value and potential political interference shaping the deal. Netflix receives an exit fee as Paramount increases its bid and secures the path forward for Warner’s brands.

Key takeaways

• Bidding drama inflates perceived value; real strategic gains often hinge on long-term platform synergies, not flashy bids.
• Warner-Paramount pivot underscores how scale debt, not charm, now defines media M&A success.
• Trump influence threads the needle between policy signals and market bets—ethics and optics collide in deals.
• Value deltas explode in bidding wars; insiders cash out big while public returns depend on post-deal integration.
• Media fragmentation accelerates as audiences disperse; multi-platform consolidation scares democracy while enticing monetization.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Ben Smith (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• David Ellison (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Ted Sarandos (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Mark Leibovich (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Brendan Carr (Guest)

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Netflix, Inc., Paramount, Ben Smith, Warner Brothers Discovery
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump, CBS, Media
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Donald Trump, The Washington Post, Mark Leibovich, Election
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Brendan Carr, Ben Smith, Donald Trump, Paramount

Notable quotes from "'A huge win for Trump administration': Netflix backs out of deal to acquire Warner Brothers"

• The bidding process has been complicated by concerns over whether President Trump would intervene in the deal.

  about Donald Trump · at 0:40

• They have some football, but in this world of these streaming apps, like how many apps are you going to have on your phone and do you have Paramount Plus?

  about Streaming Apps · at 1:48

• But then the other side of the deal is obviously it's a huge win for the Trump administration.

  about Media · at 2:52

• How have CBS's ratings gone since they've taken a turn toward Trump?

  about CBS · at 3:37

• So, Rupert Murdoch goes, I'll tell you what, I'll be the only game in town.

  about Rupert Murdoch · at 4:26

• YOU ARE SPLITTING UP THIS GROUP THAT RUPERT MURDOCH USED TO OWN BY HIMSELF AND NOW IT WILL BE SPREAD ACROSS 30 MEDIA COMPANIES.

  about Fox News · at 5:48

• SO THEY GO, OKAY, WELL, LISTEN, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT EDITORIAL THAT ENDORSES KAMALA BECAUSE THAT WILL UPSET THE PRESIDENT AND HOW MANY READERS, HOW MANY SUBSCRIBERS DO THEY LOSE?

  about The Washington Post · at 7:05

• Yeah, I think that is true that it basically doesn't work.

  about Ben Smith · at 9:47

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Donald Trump — Person · Core topic (political actor influencing media/business) · 7 mentions · first at 3:25
  Discussed as a potential intervenor in the Netflix/Paramount/Warner deal and as a force shaping media companies’ editorial decisions through pressure and retaliation.
• Ben Smith — Person · Main guest (interviewee/analyst) · 3 mentions · first at 1:06
  Explains why Netflix exited the bidding and why Paramount/Skydance (Ellison-backed) pushed harder, tying the transaction to political/media incentives.
• Mandy & Ralph Ellison — Person · Referenced financier/power broker · 2 mentions · first at 1:18
  Cited as providing 'deep pockets' (via Oracle wealth) enabling aggressive bidding and as part of the political-media accommodation narrative.
  NETFLIX THOUGHT THEY HAD THE DEAL, PARAMOUNT SKY DANCE COMES IN AND UPS THE DEAL, DAVID ELLISON ATTENDED THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ON MONDAY.
• Mark Leibovich — Person · Co-guest / panelist · 2 mentions · first at 6:35
  Participates in the discussion about media incentives, Trump appeasement, and the futility/backfire dynamics of trying to control satire/news ecosystems.
  Mark Leibovich, I know you go around quoting Shakespeare all the first time.
• Rupert Murdoch — Person · Referenced media mogul (historical comparison) · 2 mentions · first at 4:26
  Used to compare past conservative media consolidation (Fox as dominant) with a new era of fragmented outlets competing for Trump/White House favor.
• Ted Sarandos — Person · Referenced executive · 1 mention · first at 1:21
  Named as Netflix leadership present during the deal’s collapse narrative, representing Netflix’s strategic decision to walk away.
  TED SARANDOS, THE HEAD OF NETFLIX, WAS IN TOWN PERHAPS TO TELL THEM THAT HE WAS PULLING OUT PART OF THE DEAL.
• Stephen Colbert — Person · Referenced media figure (example in culture/politics) · 1 mention · first at 9:08
  Invoked as an example of political/media backlash dynamics ('backfires') and the limits of trying to suppress critical comedy/commentary.
  I said it after they got rid of Colbert.
• Brendan Carr — Person · Referenced regulator/political actor · 2 mentions · first at 9:23
  Cited as someone whose support/opposition matters to media outlets and as an example of attempted pressure that 'doesn't work' and backfires.
  This doesn't work like Brendan Carr, what he's trying to do.
• Susan Rice — Person · Referenced political figure (pressure point) · 1 mention · first at 0:52
  Mentioned as a Netflix board member targeted by Trump, illustrating political leverage applied to corporate governance during the deal.
  Netflix if the company did not fire board member Susan Rice, a former Obama administration advisor.
• Kamal Harris — Person · Referenced political figure (endorsement example) · 1 mention · first at 7:08
  Appears as the candidate in an example about The Washington Post allegedly avoiding an endorsement to not upset Trump, illustrating editorial self-censorship concerns.
  SO THEY GO, OKAY, WELL, LISTEN, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT EDITORIAL THAT ENDORSES KAMALA BECAUSE THAT WILL UPSET THE PRESIDENT AND HOW MANY READERS, HOW MANY SUBSCRIBERS DO THEY LOSE?

Companies & orgs

• Netflix, Inc. — Company · Core topic (deal participant) · 5 mentions · first at 0:00
  Central to the segment as the bidder that ultimately withdrew from acquiring a portion of Warner Bros. Discovery, allegedly amid pricing and political risk.
  Netflix then was granted four days to counter, but the streaming giant instead pulled out of the deal altogether.
• Paramount — Company · Core topic (acquirer/bidder) · 5 mentions · first at 0:04
  Presented as the winning bidder (with Skydance/Ellison backing) that outbid Netflix and will pay an exit fee; framed as needing Warner assets to survive in streaming.
  RUNNINING TO ACQUIRE A PORTION OF WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY LEAVING THE PATH NOW WIDE OPEN FOR PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE.
• Warner Brothers Discovery — Company · Core topic (target asset in bidding) · 2 mentions · first at 0:02
  The asset being pursued; the discussion frames its brands/app (HBO Max) as strategically necessary for Paramount and optional for Netflix.
  We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros. iconic brands, but this transaction was always a nice to have at the right price, not a must-have at any price.
• CBS — Company · Core topic (news division in political accommodation) · 1 mention · first at 3:12
  Discussed as making 'accommodations' to signal alignment with Trump, including editorial oversight and anchor changes, with limited ratings benefit.
• The Washington Post — Organization · Referenced organization (example of audience/pressure tradeoffs) · 3 mentions · first at 6:09
  Used to illustrate the risks of shifting editorial posture to appease Trump (e.g., not endorsing a candidate) and losing subscribers without gaining new ones.
• Semaphore — Company · Referenced organization (guest affiliation) · 1 mention · first at 1:06
  Identifies Ben Smith’s role and perspective as a media-industry analyst and editor.
  Joining us now, co-founder, editor-in-chief of Semaphore, Ben SMITH.
• The Atlantic — Organization · Referenced organization (journalistic employer/example) · 1 mention · first at 11:49
  Mentioned as a positive example of a media outlet growing without conflicting business interests that could be influenced by Trump or regulators.
  BEN SMITH AND STAFF WRITER at The Atlantic, Mark Levovich.

Products & tech

• HBO Max — Product · Referenced product (strategic asset) · 1 mention · first at 1:58
  Mentioned as the kind of streaming app/asset Paramount needs (via Warner) to compete and survive in a crowded app ecosystem.
  And so they felt that they just need Warner, need HBO Max or whatever they're calling that app now to survive commercially and because Larry Ellison via Oracle is one of the richest men in the world,.

Concepts & topics

• Media — Concept · Core topic (industry/system under pressure) · 2 mentions · first at 4:50
  The conversation uses the deal to discuss broader media fragmentation, political capture attempts, and the economics of news vs. entertainment conglomerates.
• Streaming Apps — Concept · Core topic (industry structure) · 1 mention · first at 1:50
  Used to frame why Paramount is 'too small' and why app consolidation/scale matters—how many apps consumers will keep and pay for.
• Bidding War — Concept · Core topic (deal dynamic) · 1 mention · first at 2:21
  Explains the price escalation and why the party that 'needed it more' (Paramount/Ellison side) overpaid while Netflix walked away.
  BEFORE THIS STARTED, I THINK THE PRICE HAS MORE THAN QUADRUPLED AMID THIS BIDDING WAR.
• Ratings — Concept · Supporting topic (performance metric) · 2 mentions · first at 3:37
  Discussed as declining for broadcast news generally and as not improving for CBS despite perceived rightward accommodations; also framed as secondary to deal goals.
  How have CBS's ratings gone since they've taken a turn toward Trump?
• Conservatism — Concept · Supporting topic (ideological market) · 1 mention · first at 4:16
  Discussed as a media market segment once dominated by Murdoch/Fox and now potentially fragmented among many outlets seeking White House favor.
  When I grew up as a conservative, everybody seemed to be liberal on television or the newspaper.
• Election — Concept · Supporting topic (democratic governance risk) · 1 mention · first at 7:32
  Raised in the context of reporting about 'people who want to take over elections,' tying media decisions to democratic stability concerns.
  LIKE AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT STORY THAT WE'VE BEEN COVERING TODAY ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TAKE OVER ELECTIONS.
• Democracy — Concept · Supporting topic (societal impact) · 1 mention · first at 5:15
  Raised as a concern when discussing media outlets competing to please the White House and the consequences of fragmentation and politicized coverage.
  I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO BE FOR DEMOCRACY, BUT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES AND MS NOW AND OTHER PEOPLE, MIGHT I THINK IT MIGHT BE PRETTY GOOD BECAUSE I ASKED YOU THAT QUESTION ABOUT CBS.
• Defense Contracts — Concept · Referenced motive (speculative/claimed driver) · 1 mention · first at 10:24
  A speaker asserts the deal is 'about defense contracts with the Pentagon,' suggesting non-media incentives behind conglomerate behavior (not independently verified in transcript).
  YEAH, IT'S VERY TRAGIC. BY THE WAY, FOR IT'S NOT ABOUT A MOVIE STUDIO, IT'S ABOUT DEFENSE CONTRACTS WITH THE PENTAGON.
• Liberalism — Concept · Supporting topic (ideological contrast) · 1 mention
  Referenced as the perceived default orientation of legacy media in the speaker’s past, motivating conservative media entrepreneurship and current polarization dynamics.
  When I grew up as a conservative, everybody seemed to be liberal on television or the newspaper.

Media & podcasts

• Fox News — Media · Referenced media outlet (audience behavior benchmark) · 1 mention · first at 5:31
  Used to explain conservative audience stickiness and how new right-leaning pivots by other outlets may not pull viewers away from Fox.
• CNN — Media · Referenced media outlet (example of political pressure) · 1 mention · first at 5:36
  Used as an example of Trump inflicting pain on disliked media figures and as a hypothetical target for rightward repositioning.
  WHAT I FOUND IS FOX VIEWERS STAY ON FOX OR THEY GO TO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FLOOD TO CNN WHEN CNN, IF CNN DOES WHAT ELLISON SAYS THEY'RE GOING TO DO AND THEY START BECOMING A RIGHT-WING CHANNEL.
• Rush Hour 4 — Media · Referenced media property (satirical example) · 1 mention · first at 3:29
  Used rhetorically to illustrate perceived transactional 'accommodations' to Trump by the Ellison/CBS side.
  I think the best signal though was that Donald Trump asked them to produce rush hour four and they will also do that for him.
• South Park — Media · Referenced media property (backfire example) · 1 mention · first at 9:16
  Cited as an example that attempts to suppress or manage criticism can backfire, with satire becoming 'more vicious.'
  And then South Park gets more vicious than ever before.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 MEANWHILE, NETFLIX NO LONGER IN THE RUNNINING TO ACQUIRE A PORTION OF WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY LEAVING THE PATH NOW WIDE OPEN FOR PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE. THE WARNER BROTHERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS YESTERDAY DECLARED PARAMOUNT'S OFFER TO BE THE SUPERIOR DEAL AFTER THE COMPANY UPPED ITS BID FROM from $30 to $31 per share earlier this week. Netflix then was granted four days to counter, but the streaming giant instead pulled out of the deal altogether. The co-chief executives of Netflix writing in a statement. We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros. iconic brands, but this transaction was always a nice to have at the right price, not a must-have at any price.

0:40 The bidding process has been complicated by concerns over whether President Trump would intervene in the deal. The president recently threatened consequences for Netflix if the company did not fire board member Susan Rice, a former Obama administration advisor. For its part, Netflix will receive a nearly $3 billion exit fee paid for by Paramount. Joining us now, co-founder, editor-in-chief of Semaphore, Ben BEN SMITH. LET'S WALK THROUGH WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED HERE. NETFLIX THOUGHT THEY HAD THE DEAL, PARAMOUNT SKY DANCE COMES IN AND UPS THE DEAL, DAVID ELLISON ATTENDED THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ON MONDAY.

1:21 TED SARANDOS, THE HEAD OF NETFLIX, WAS IN TOWN PERHAPS TO TELL THEM THAT HE WAS PULLING OUT PART OF THE DEAL. HOW DID THIS ALL FALL APART FOR NETFLIX AND LAND IN THE LAP OF PARAMOUNT? THERE ARE BASICALLY TWO THINGS HAPPENING HERE. ONE IS THAT THE ELLISONS and Paramount needed Warner more. Paramount is a, you know, it's seen in the industry as too small to survive on its own. It's got, you know, it's got Yellowstone. It's got a couple of properties. They have some football, but in this world of these streaming apps, like how many apps are you going to have on your phone and do you have Paramount Plus?

1:55 And so they felt that they just need Warner, need HBO Max or whatever they're calling that app now to survive commercially and because Larry Ellison via Oracle is one of the richest men in the world, they have very, very deep pockets. And I think for Netflix, it was CEOs said was true, that it was interesting at a price, and as they bid it up. You know, it's like in a real estate deal, like the person who wants it more will overpay, and that's kind of what happened here. And this is for a company that was $7 a share.

2:28 YOU KNOW, BEFORE THIS STARTED, I THINK THE PRICE HAS MORE THAN QUADRUPLED AMID THIS BIDDING WAR. AND SO PART OF IT IS JUST A KIND OF A NORMAL BUT WEIRD TRANSACTION HAPPENING OVER HERE WHERE THE BUYER WHO wants it more gets it the company and this you know David Zaslav CEO is going to walk away with 600 million dollars in cash which I mean I know people on TV make a lot of money but that is that's more. But then the other side of the deal is obviously it's a huge win for the Trump administration. I guess I was going to say their their kind of aim is truer when it comes to media companies than unmanned drones and you know this was this was a deal that Trump and people around him signaled that they preferred Ellison the and and Ellison and CBS have made a series of accommodations including putting in kind of a conservative ombudsman to make sure CBS News doesn't get too left wing replacing the anchors you know all sorts

3:23 of stuff that's intended to signal that they're going to do what Donald Trump wants. I think the best signal though was that Donald Trump asked them to produce rush hour four and they will also do that for him. It's incredibly important, of course, to rush hour four. How have CBS's ratings gone since they've taken a turn toward Trump? Not, you know, this is a challenge, I think. Like, not, I would say, like, the ratings for broadcast news in general are in long-term terminal decline. And CBS is not beneficial to that decline.

3:56 Yes, they have not halted that decline. They've continued that decline, with occasional exception. They're not seeing a pop. They're not doing really well. So, because this is what I thought last night, of course, everybody's hair catches on fire and they're ready to run to the hills. Well, it reminds me, we're getting to a point now, and it's fascinating. When I grew up as a conservative, everybody seemed to be liberal on television or the newspaper. There were no conservative outlets, right? So, Rupert Murdoch goes, I'll tell you what, I'll be the only game in town.

4:31 And I'll get 50 % of the country's conservative, 50 % of the country will look at me and everybody else can split with the other 50%. We are now in the age of Trump at a point where now you are going to have all of these people that are trying to play to the White House, ALL THE MEDIA OUTLETS, SPLITTING UP, I DON'T KNOW, 35%, 40 %? I MEAN, IF YOU GET A LIST

5:05 YOU HAVE A LOT OF MEDIA OUTLETS ALL DIGGING IN A PRETTY SMALL THREE. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO BE FOR DEMOCRACY, BUT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES AND MS NOW AND OTHER PEOPLE, MIGHT I THINK IT MIGHT BE PRETTY GOOD BECAUSE I ASKED YOU THAT QUESTION ABOUT CBS FOR A GOOD REASON. WHAT I FOUND IS FOX VIEWERS STAY ON FOX OR THEY GO TO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FLOOD TO CNN WHEN CNN, IF CNN DOES WHAT ELLISON SAYS THEY'RE GOING TO DO AND THEY START BECOMING A RIGHT-WING CHANNEL. YOU ARE SPLITTING UP THIS GROUP THAT RUPERT MURDOCH USED TO OWN BY HIMSELF AND NOW IT WILL BE SPREAD ACROSS 30 MEDIA COMPANIES.

5:59 IT DOESN'T SEEM TO ME TO THEY ARE FEROCIOUS COMPETITORS WHO ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO KILL THESE GUYS. THAT'S PART OF IT. I THINK PART OF THE CHALLENGES IS TRUE OF THE WASHINGTON POST TOO, THEY ARE NOT SAYING we're going all the way to the right and we're going to be, you know, running ads for Donald Trump. They're saying we're going to try to move like a few inches to the right. And so far I'm not sure that there's a big audience there. I'm not sure there's a big audience in the center. I mean, that's sort of the sad truth.

6:26 And then I'm not also, I'm also not sure that's really pleases Donald Trump that much. He's not looking for a slight adjustment. And as Shakespeare would say, and there's the rub. Mark Leibovich, I know you go around quoting Shakespeare all the first time. There's the rub. You make nobody happy. You make, you make CBS is making nobody happy. CBS News, nobody. They're pissing off their regular viewers. The ride is going Oh, wait. They're being straightforward on that story. I'm going back to, you know. The journalists who work there are frustrated.

7:01 Whatever. And the Washington Post is the perfect THAT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE. YOU KNOW, SO THEY GO, OKAY, WELL, LISTEN, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT EDITORIAL THAT ENDORSES KAMALA BECAUSE THAT WILL UPSET THE PRESIDENT AND HOW HOW MANY READERS, HOW MANY SUBSCRIBERS DO THEY LOSE? THEY CONTINUE TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT AGAIN, THEY THINK THEY'RE GOING TO CURR FAVOR WITH DONALD TRUMP, BUT THEN A REPORTER BREAKS NEWS YESTERDAY, LIKE AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT STORY THAT WE'VE BEEN COVERING TODAY ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TAKE OVER ELECTIONS.

7:38 I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TAKE OVER ELECTIONS, YOU END UP, PLEASE EVERYBODY HEAR ME, YOU END UP PLEASING YOU ARE MAKING NOBODY, YOU END UP PISSING OFF YOUR EXISTING AUDIENCE AND NOT MAKING ENOUGH CONVERTS TO MAKE UP FOR THAT EXISTING AUDIENCE YOU PISSED And Donald Trump is never happy unless you're 100 % loyal and faithful to him. I find the whole thing, I'm not going to THEY ARE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY AND THEY ARE STILL GOING TO UPSET DONALD TRUMP IN THE END. I MEAN, IT IS TRUE AND YOU SORT OF WONDER, I MEAN, I MEAN, WHAT IS THE ENDGAME HERE, RIGHT?

8:23 I MEAN, IS IT JUST DONALD TRUMP'S HAPPINESS IN THE DAY-TO-DAY HERE? LIKE HE HAS INFLICTED PAIN ON CNN. PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE HE DESPISES AT CNN ARE UNHAPPY TODAY AND THAT MAKES HIM HAPPY. BUT IN THE REAL world. I mean, something that Ben, I guess, just said is, I mean, is there a great audience in sort of TV watching just for centrism? Like, well, this is not Fox. This is something in the middle, something different. And I do think, I mean, again, the access here just sort of revolves around Donald Trump and what his day-to-day mood is, which seems to be what's driving a lot of decisions out of the administration and a lot of the mood of the country and so forth.

9:00 You do have to figure out where is this headed, though? Yeah, and Ben, really quickly, again, not to belabor this point. I said it after they got rid of Colbert. You can't play this at Colbert, right? And then South Park gets more vicious than ever before. And Colbert is going to get stronger. And Colbert will go to YouTube and he'll figure out. I mean, this doesn't work like Brendan Carr, what he's trying to do. It will always, I mean, Jimmy Kimmel made him a martyr. It always, this shit always backfires. I'm just saying Ben knows this.

9:43 We can talk to Ben like he's a friend. Ben, it always backfires, doesn't it? Yeah, I mean, I think that is true that it basically doesn't work. But there's something kind of sad that this, particularly these news programs are just sort of chips in a deal to buy a movie studio. And whether their ratings go down or up, that's I DON'T THINK THAT'S FUNDAMENTALLY IMPORTANT TO PARAMOUNT. THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED WHICH IS A BIG MOVIE STUDIO AND IF THERE'S SOME WEIRD STUFF THAT HAPPENS IN THE NEWS DIVISION, ULTIMATELY THAT WAS ALWAYS KIND OF SECONDARY.

10:10 I THINK THAT'S THE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IN THE I THINK THE NEWS BUSINESS IS KIND OF SAD. YEAH, IT'S VERY TRAGIC. BY THE WAY, FOR IT'S NOT ABOUT A MOVIE STUDIO, IT'S ABOUT DEFENSE CONTRACTS WITH THE PENTAGON. AND SO AGAIN, YOU HAVE ALL THESE CONGLOMERANTS THAT, NOT VERSANT. AT SOME POINT WE ARE INDEPENDENT, BABY. YOU GOT ALL OF THESE HUGE CONGLOMERANTS THAT HAVE VERSANT. YOU GOT ALL OF THESE HUGE CONGLOMERANTS. I THINK THE STOCK WAS UP YOU GOT VERSANT. DID I SAY IT RIGHT? YES, YOU SAID IT RIGHT. AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WASHING MACHINES.

10:57 THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY THAT'S THE PROBLEM WHEN YOU HAVE AMAZON BUYING THE WASHINGTON POST. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS, I MEAN, GIVE A POSITIVE EXAMPLE. I CAN HURRY. YEAH. OF LORRAINE POWELL, SHE HAS DONE TO THE ATLANTICS. OTHER THAN THEM HIRING LAMIRE AND THE OTHER GUY THAT WE HAVE ON, LEBOVICH YEAH YEAH YEAH. I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OTHER THAN THAT, BUT THAT'S AMAZING AND I'VE NEVER SEEN A MEDIA OUTLET GROW LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR OTHER INTERESTS THAT DONALD TRUMP WILL SUPPORT OR OPPOSE OR BRENDAN CARR WILL SUPPORT OR OPPOSE.

11:42 IF YOU'RE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, YOU CAN SAY THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING. I WAS THINKING WE ARE IN THE THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING. I WAS THINKING WE ARE IN THE SOUTH RENT. BEN SMITH AND STAFF WRITER at The Atlantic, Mark Levovich. Thank you both very much. And coming up, we'll be joined by one of the Democrats running in a crowded primary. Versace it. Versace it. Do it. You got it. Let's go. We're independent, baby. They're working to fill retiring Congressman

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "'A huge win for Trump administration': Netflix backs out of deal to acquire Warner Brothers"?

Ben Smith (Guest), David Ellison (Guest), Ted Sarandos (Guest), Mark Leibovich (Guest), Brendan Carr (Guest).

What is "'A huge win for Trump administration': Netflix backs out of deal to acquire Warner Brothers" about?

Netflix exits its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, with Paramount Skydance emerging as the superior offer, while industry observers note strategic concerns about Warner’s value and potential political interference shaping the deal. Netflix receives an exit fee as Paramount increases its bid and secures the path forward for Warner’s brands.

What is mentioned in this MS NOW episode?

31 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Donald Trump, Netflix, Inc., Paramount, Ben Smith, Warner Brothers Discovery, Media. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "'A huge win for Trump administration': Netflix backs out of deal to acquire Warner Brothers"?

The episode runs 12 min; the transcript is about 2,034 words in 19 timestamped sections.

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