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Warners deal raises US antitrust concerns over originality, creative freedom

By Ilana Kowarski ( February 4, 2026, 19:29 GMT | Comment) -- Warner Bros. Discovery’s buyout presents more abstract, thorny competition questions than a commodity merger would. To be sure, the WBD sale raises standard-fare antitrust concerns about product output, price and quality, plus traditional employee monopsony questions. But the deal has also resulted in an uncommon debate about whether this transaction would disincentivize creative risk-taking.Warner Bros. Discovery’s anticipated acquisition by either Netflix or Paramount Skydance presents more abstract, thorny competition questions than a typical commodity merger would. To be sure, the WBD sale raises standard-fare antitrust concerns about product output, price and quality, plus traditional employee monopsony questions. However, the deal has also resulted in an uncommon debate about whether it would disincentivize creative risk-taking....

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