Netflix’s Ted Sarandos on If He Sees Paramount-Warner Bros. As Competition, and If He Courted Casey Bloys: ‘We Had a Very Well-Publicized Lunch’
If Ted Sarandos is concerned about any competitive edge that a Paramount/Warner Bros. merger might pose, he’s not showing it. Speaking Wednesday at the Bloomberg Screentime conference, Sarandos was mostly dismissive of any rivalry: “It’s looked on paper so far it’s one and one,”
The media landscape is shifting, and major players are positioning themselves for the future. Netflix's Ted Sarandos' comments on the potential Paramount-Warner Bros. merger are telling, as he downplays the threat it poses to his streaming giant. By saying that the combined entity would be "one and one" on paper, Sarandos implies that Netflix's existing strengths and subscriber base make it less vulnerable to competition from a merged Paramount and Warner Bros.
This nonchalant attitude towards competition is consistent with Netflix's strategy of focusing on its own content and user experience. Sarandos' emphasis on the company's own strengths and priorities suggests that Netflix is more concerned with maintaining its own momentum than reacting to the moves of its competitors. The fact that Sarandos was willing to discuss his lunch meeting with HBO's Casey Bloys, calling it "very well-publicized," also hints at the ongoing dance between streaming and traditional media executives.
What's next to watch is how the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger plays out, and whether it does indeed pose a threat to Netflix's dominance. If the deal goes through, it would create a behemoth with a massive library of content and a significant presence in both film and television. Netflix's response will likely be to continue investing in its own original content and user experience, but it will be interesting to see if Sarandos' dismissive tone holds up as the competitive landscape evolves.
Originally reported by variety.com. SpeakingNews adds analysis for culture, style & media readers.