European antitrust regulators are notoriously stricter than U.S. agencies. What does that mean for the Netflix-Paramount-Warner Bros. dealmaking?

Netflix Co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos call their pending $83B acquisition of Warner Bros. "a win for the entertainment business."

Netflix co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters say the streamer will only see a slight increase in share of TV viewing with their proposal.

Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters answered some frequently asked questions from staffers regarding Warner Bros. Discovery, insisting the $82.7 billion deal is "not the end" of the entertainment industry.

Some of Wall Street’s biggest rainmakers are vying for a windfall as the Paramount-Netflix bidding war for Warner Bros Discovery reaches a climax, capping a blockbuster year for mergers and acquisitions.

Streaming giant Netflix appeared to win the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery last week, when the two firms announced their merger. Within days, however, Paramount announced its hostile bid, meaning Paramount plans to appeal to Warner Bros. Discover shareholders in an effort to overcome the wishes of management.

NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. Discovery’s friendly agreement to sell itself to Netflix just got upended by a hostile actor -- Paramount, which made Warner shareholders a higher offer and touched off what is likely to be a lengthy fight in the latest episode of media industry consolidation.

When David Zaslav became Warner Bros Discovery’s boss in 2022, Hollywood was sceptical of the insignia-vest-wearing east-coaster whose Discovery network was known for reality fare such as 90-Day Fiancé and Dr Pimple Popper .

For now, the outcome remains highly uncertain. Any acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would likely be reviewed by the Trump administration, which could move to block a proposed merger over anti-monopoly concerns, according to antitrust experts from Vanderbilt University, the University of Tennessee and the Cardozo Law School.

Netflix and Warner Bros. have a deal, but regulators must approve the move. The question of how to define Netflix's market is a key consideration.