NEW YORK.- Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflixmade a low-profile visit to the Oval Office in November to speak with President Trump as his company prepared bold offer for Buy Warner Bros. and HBO. Things went so well that Donald Trump soon praised Sarandos as “fantastic” and compared him to legendary Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer.
On Sunday evening, David EllisonPresident of of utmost importance Skydance, a company that competes with Netflix, had the opportunity to present its case in person. Ellison was seen with Trump in the presidential box at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in Washington.
hours later, Ellison revealed hostile bid to block Netflix takeover and in the fine print he revealed his version of a trump card: a Private equity firm founded by Jared KushnerTrump’s son-in-law is on board Investor of the agreement.
Presidents are barred from influencing regulators that examine large corporate deals, a process that traditionally occurs outside the whims of politicians.
But with the future of the news and entertainment industry at stake, the American president, an expert in film and television, marked one preceding for the be directly involved in the sale of Warner Bros. Discoverythe biggest media deal of the decade. And both Netflix and Paramount are paying attention.
“I will be part of this decision,” Trump told reporters in a tuxedo on Sunday as he posed for photos on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors.
For a president who has worked at it, flouting the rules is nothing new Reshaping the relationship between government agencies and the White Houseand on Monday, the Supreme Court appeared poised to significantly expand the president’s authority to fire independent officials in federal agencies, including regulators.
The president has often enjoyed pitting his rivals against each other, from the boardroom of his TV show “The Apprentice” to the West Wing, and has so far remained cautious when it comes to which side he favors.
On the red carpet Sunday, the president praised Sarandos effusively but also warned that a Netflix win “could be a problem.” Trump expressed his Concerns that a deal could give Netflix an outsized market sharean argument that Paramount makes publicly.
Then, on Monday morning, The president criticized Paramount for an interview on “60 Minutes” with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene that aired Sunday on CBS, which is owned by the company.
“They are no better than the previous owners,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social about Paramount Skydance, the Ellison-owned company that acquired CBS and Paramount from the Redstone family this summer in another major deal.
That deal required approval from the Trump administration, and Paramount, owned by the Redstones, agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit Trump filed against “60 Minutes” over its editing of an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
“Since they bought it, 60 Minutes has gotten worse!” Trump added in his post, referring to Paramount Skydance.
It was not clear whether the president had the sale of Warner Bros. in mind when he sent his message. But your criticism complicates the general perception of his relationship with Ellisonwhose father, technology mogul Larry Ellison, is a friend of the president.
The Ellisons have appeared in public with Trump in recent months. David Ellison sat with the president at a UFC fight, one of Trump’s favorite pastimes, and later bought $7.7 billion for the wrestling league’s broadcast rights. Paramount is also in talks to distribute a new “Rush Hour” film after Trump told Larry Ellison that he was a fan of the franchise.
Jeff Shell, president of Paramount Skydance, and George Cheeks, the company’s television chief, also attended the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The ceremony has a long history with CBS, which will air an edited version of the event on December 23rd. Bari Weiss, executive editor of CBS News, was not present.
Although Netflix’s offer for Warner Bros. Discovery is not included cnn, Paramount has expressed interest in acquiring the news channel 24 hours. When asked by CNBC on Monday whether Trump liked the idea of owning CNN, Ellison responded evasively.
“We had great conversations with the president about this,” Ellison said. “But I don’t want to speak on his behalf in any way,” he added.
Sarandos voluntarily admitted at a conference in Manhattan later Monday that he also had several conversations with Trump. “I have spoken with him many times since the election about the various challenges facing the entertainment industry,” Sarandos said, adding that the president “understands that we are advancing great work in America.”
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