Netflix faces consumer class-action lawsuit over $72bn Warner Bros deal [View all]
Source: The Guardian/Reuters
Tue 9 Dec 2025 14.41 EST
Last modified on Tue 9 Dec 2025 14.53 EST
Netflix has been hit with a consumer lawsuit seeking to block the online video giant’s planned $72bn acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery’s studio and streaming businesses. The proposed class action was filed on Monday by a subscriber to Warner Bros-owned HBO Max who said the proposed deal threatened to reduce competition in the US subscription video-on-demand market.
Some members of Congress have sharply questioned Netflix’s proposal, which is expected to face significant US regulatory scrutiny under antitrust laws. Paramount Skydance on Monday launched a hostile bid worth $108.4bn for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) in a challenge to Netflix’s bid.
US federal antitrust laws allow consumers to sue over mergers and acquisitions, separate from any federal regulatory agency lawsuit, though such cases face high legal hurdles.
Netflix, the world’s largest streaming service, in a statement said: “We believe this suit is meritless and is merely an attempt by the plaintiffs’ bar to leverage all the attention on the deal.”
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/09/netflix-consumer-lawsuit-warner-bros-deal
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