Trump Is Staying Out Of Warners Deal

Current U.S. President Donald Trump has told NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas that he is staying out of the Netflix vs. Paramount fight for Warner Bros. Discovery.

In an Oval Office interview, Trump said: “I haven’t been involved. I must say, I guess I’m considered to be a very strong president. I’ve been called by both sides. It’s the two sides, but I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.”

He continued, saying: “There is a theory that one of the companies is too big, and it shouldn’t be allowed to do it. And the other company is saying something else. They are beating the hell out of each other, and there will be a winner.”

Trump previously indicated to the trades back in December that he would be involved in the government review of the transaction, which would’ve been unusual for a sitting president to do.

The comments follow on from Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos testifying on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. The Justice Department Antitrust Division is said to be currently reviewing the transaction.

Sarandos has claimed he is pushing to keep a 45-day window for films from Warner Bros. Discovery, but filmmaker Chris Nolan tells Variety: “There are encouraging noises, but that’s not the same as commitments. The theatrical window becomes an easily graspable symbol of whether Warner Bros. will be run as a theatrical distributor or whether it be folded in as a streamer. But the reality is, the issues on the television side and the streaming side are far more important to the DGA.”

Source: Deadline