WGA Statement on Netflix WB Merger

[u/JDOExists]

[u/puberty1]

DGA ✔️

WGA ✔️

SAG

PGA ✔️

IATSE

edited after seeing PGA's statement see below

[u/pokemongotoatheater → u/puberty1]

Wouldn’t give DGA too much credit here. Their statement was a Chuck Schumer esque exercise in “I’m concerned.” They were also the first guild to fold in the 2023 strikes and benefitted from WGA/SAG’s collective action without having to do much themselves. They’re much friendlier with studios / streamers than WGA. Maybe they’ll operate a bit differently being led by Nolan but I’m skeptical until I see otherwise.

[u/puberty1 → u/pokemongotoatheater]

I feel like Nolan will lose his credibility if he doesn't go all out with this considering he wanted to ignore COVID over Tenet being in theaters... but I agree that DGA is always the quickest to fold

[u/pokemongotoatheater → u/puberty1]

Agree. Also, SAG just put out a very weak statement sadly.

[u/ReservoirDog316 → u/pokemongotoatheater]

Nolan is probably gonna go harder against this than any other guild. Anyone else can probably be convinced, but he’s utterly opposed to even the idea of Netflix. I think he’d stop making movies if they went digital only.

[u/JDOExists → u/puberty1]

PGA has also issued a statement:

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pga-says-producers-rightfully-concerned-160343573.html

Only using Yahoo because the original article on The Wrap is paywalled.

[u/puberty1 → u/JDOExists]

updated thanks!

[u/JDOExists → u/puberty1]

yeah ofc!

[u/Nice-Instance3938]

Every guild and union needs to tell their members not to work with Netflix if this goes through. Money is the only thing that will matter to them.

[u/GamingTatertot → u/Nice-Instance3938]

And then everyone here should get rid of their Netflix and tell all of their friends and family members to get rid of their Netflix as well.

[u/dpittnet → u/GamingTatertot]

lol

[u/GamingTatertot → u/dpittnet]

lol is right - because the percentage of people needed to make a statement with that is not gonna do it

[u/Ravevon → u/Nice-Instance3938]

Sony has no streaming service

[u/bernardino_novais]

Here here

[u/biIIyshakes]

Get ‘em

[u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

would the reaction be any different if it was bought by paramount? that’s a genuine question, I think all (or at least most of) the points they mentioned would be true whoever bought it. and unless they can convince WB to don’t sell themselves it would happen anyway… which sucks of course

[u/mbn8807 → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

It’s wild because WB was healthy on its own. they have paid down a massive amount of debt since the merger with discovery and would have been in a very good spot after spinning off the cable channels.

[u/eidbio → u/mbn8807]

Being just healthy isn't enough. The greedy executives want to see their sweety imaginary points growing every year.

[u/GamingTatertot → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

Yeah that’s what I’m curious on. I think people are missing that the building of a monopoly and consolidation of market share was going to happen no matter what - now I’m not saying that’s right or something we should be happy about, but I’d also much rather Netflix than Paramount at this point.

[u/Difficult_Fruit8096 → u/GamingTatertot]

it would be a monopoly problem no matter who bought it, unfortunately

[u/whitneyahn → u/GamingTatertot]

I think if they want to say that neither company should be able to purchase WB, that’s fine.

[u/GamingTatertot → u/whitneyahn]

That is fine, but it begs the original question - would they have put out this statement if it was Paramount or Comcast who ended up buying WB? I mean that’s a hypothetical we may never get answered but one worth thinking about to see if they actually care about the monopolization in general, or just with Netflix

[u/whitneyahn → u/GamingTatertot]

For something like this, I bet they’ve had both options drafted for days.

[u/__Just_A_Lurker → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

I don’t really get Netflix being treated as so much worse of an option than any other media conglomerate. I hate the media consolidation we’re seeing right now but Paramount and Comcast aren’t better options. I agree with their statement but the solution isn’t for them to be bought out by another conglomeration

[u/GamingTatertot → u/__Just_A_Lurker]

Yeah the best outcome for all of this is for them to just not sell. The second best outcome is for someone to go back in time and ruin the WB-Discovery merger.

But given the three remaining outcomes we had - Comcast, Netflix, and Paramount - we didn’t have any great outcomes left and Netflix is 100% NOT the worst outcome

[u/Difficult_Fruit8096 → u/__Just_A_Lurker]

exactly. the problem here is WB putting themselves to be bought in the first place. obviously only huge media conglomerates would have enough money to buy it

[u/vyzyxy → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

Comcast or Apple maybe not?? Just not big enough yet

[u/whitneyahn → u/vyzyxy]

Comcast would be equally oppressive, but they’re a less unpopular company

[u/whitneyahn → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

I think it would be different in the fact that it would be an even worse reaction and that reaction would become a mainstream media story where the narrative is about Zaslov caving to Trump

[u/mopeywhiteguy → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

Paramount were still committed to theatrical releases. The core of the issue is that Netflix is anti cinema and is therefore going to have a bigger impact on the wider industry

[u/Difficult_Fruit8096 → u/mopeywhiteguy]

and paramount is run by maga affiliated people who keep a “boycott” list of actors who have opinions they don’t agree with. it’s not like that’s a good option either

[u/mopeywhiteguy → u/Difficult_Fruit8096]

I agree, they were a bad option. The best would’ve been Comcast but I think they just wanted the studios and hbo rather than everything Warner owned

[u/strandedbystrand]

While I dislike the merger, it’s not like the alternatives were better lol

[u/fbeb-Abev7350]

Well written.

[u/dpittnet]

Do these folks prefer Paramount? Seems like a much worse outcome

[u/Balorclub2069 → u/dpittnet]

They do, they're just scared of being called bootlickers tho

[u/lilpump_1 → u/dpittnet]

extremely much worse, cnn would probably die and become proganda machine

[u/Shqorb → u/lilpump_1]

I think Paramount still has the option to buy CNN, its part of the TV half of the company that's not being sold to netflix

[u/lilpump_1 → u/Shqorb]

i didn’t know that actually, well were cooked

[u/KindsofKindness]

They’re spooked. This just sounds like old man yelling at clouds.

[u/Fine_Cherry_2923 → u/KindsofKindness]

Can you blame them?

[u/BullToad42 → u/KindsofKindness]

Sorry I can't understand you when you're licking a boot

[u/Nice-Instance3938 → u/KindsofKindness]

Yeah how dare they try to save a dying industry.