{"id":19567,"date":"2026-02-07T05:09:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T05:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=19567"},"modified":"2026-02-07T05:09:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T05:09:29","slug":"netflixs-co-ceo-argues-its-wbd-deal-wont-hurt-consumers-if-so-they-can-cancel-with-one-click","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=19567","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s co-CEO argues its WBD deal won\u2019t hurt consumers. If so, they can cancel with one click"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Netflix\u2019s co-CEO told lawmakers the company\u2019s merger deal with Warner Bros. Discovery won\u2019t hurt its customers and said\u00a0subscribers can make sure of that.<\/p>\n

\n

Speaking Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, Ted Sarandos repeatedly rejected claims that the merger would lead to concentration in the streaming industry if regulators allow it to go through.<\/p>\n

Still, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pointed out Netflix last year raised prices while continuing to add subscribers. In 2025 Netflix raised its lowest-tier plan with ads by $1 per month and its two higher tiers, a standard plan with no ads and its premium plan, by $2.50 and $2, respectively.<\/p>\n

Klobuchar said she feared if Netflix acquired Warner Bros. and its streamer HBO Max, the third most popular in the U.S. by subscribers, it would be incentivized to raise prices.<\/p>\n

Sarandos pushed back on the idea that Netflix would suddenly become a bad deal, saying the company has given its subscribers top value for their money during past price hikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever we come back and ask for a little more money it\u2019s because we\u2019ve given them a lot more value,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Previously in the hearing, Sarandos claimed Netflix\u2019s prices have gone up slower than competing services, and that Netflix subscribers spend on average 35 cents per hour of content they watch on the service.<\/p>\n

If at any point, subscribers don\u2019t see the value in what Netflix is providing them, its customers also aren\u2019t tied to Netflix.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a one-click cancel, so if at any point the consumer says, \u2018That\u2019s too much for what I\u2019m getting,\u2019 they can just with one click of the button cancel Netflix,\u201d Sarandos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed consumers can cancel their subscription with one click but did not comment further.<\/p>\n

Netflix in December said it would acquire Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max, in a $72 billion deal it later amended to be paid completely in cash.\u00a0Cable channels like CNN, TNT, and HGTV will not be part of the acquisition and instead are expected to be spun off via the separation of the company\u2019s Global Linear Networks business, as Discovery Global, which is set to be completed by the third quarter of 2026.<\/p>\n

Netflix has said the deal will accelerate its business by giving its subscribers access to the large library of Warner Bros. shows and movies, including the Harry Potter <\/em>series and The Big Bang Theory.<\/em><\/p>\n

To be sure, Netflix\u2019s stock has sunk about 19% since it announced the merger. Even if the deal goes through, Netflix could be looking at a period of uncertainty and risk, as well as a potentially small return on its invested capital, wrote Rosenblatt Securities analyst Barton Crockett in a research note.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In terms of content, Sarandos said the deal will allow Netflix to expand Warner Bros. content as well as Netflix\u2019s own production in the U.S., adding American jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[Subscribers] have to really love what they\u2019re watching, and thank goodness we\u2019re doing a good job of that,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#Netflixs #coCEO #argues #WBD #deal #wont #hurt #consumers #cancel #click<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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