A Netflix-Warner Bros. Merger Deserves a Fair Look for North Carolina Families and American Competitiveness

By Oscar Guarin  

Oscar Guarin is a developer with the Stillwater Group based in Wake County. He owns manages a portfolio of residential rental properties, is actively involved in the construction of residential housing, and leading the development of a large-scale event driven project in North Carolina. 

North Carolina is a state built by people who take risks, invest for the long term and believe growth creates opportunity. As a real estate developer and entrepreneur based in Wake County, I see every day how private investment drives jobs, revitalizes communities and strengthens our local economy. I was pleased to see that recent television shows here in our state generated more than $100 million in production spending and created 4,900 jobs for our local economy. The film industry in North Carolina is only growing, meaning any investment into American media could prove to bring tremendous results for our state.  

While news of a potential merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has been met with questions and initial skepticism, its consumer impact and free-market principles warrant North Carolina’s support.  

The current streaming market is fractured and inefficient. Families are juggling multiple subscriptions, paying for duplicative content and still struggling to find what they want to watch. Anyone who manages household budgets or runs a business understands that complexity drives costs. This is not healthy competition delivering value. It is duplication that ultimately gets passed on to consumers. 

This frustration was a central theme during this week’s Senate hearing with Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and WBD’s Bruce Campbell. Lawmakers from both parties acknowledged that consumers are overwhelmed by rising costs caused by fragmented platforms. Sarandos and Campbell made it clear that duplication is not competition and that the American consumer will benefit from a merger such as this.  

“Netflix and Warner Brothers both have streaming services, but they are very complementary. In fact, 80% of HBO Max subscribers also subscribe to Netflix. We will give consumers more content for less. So, this is not a typical media merger where you end up with what's called the Noah's Ark problem, two of everything,” Sarandos said. 

He is correct. A combined Netflix-Warner Bros. platform would help address this problem by consolidating content, requiring fewer subscriptions and providing better long-term value. This will make the streaming experience massively more user-friendly. In this instance, consolidation will not have a profound impact on competition. Consumers would continue to see offerings from platforms and studios, including Paramount+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube and Peacock.  

It cannot be stressed enough that there is also a clear economic and workforce impact for North Carolina, which has become a growing hub for technology, digital services and creative industries. A stronger American streaming company with the scale to invest consistently in content, technology and production supports jobs not only on sets, but across marketing, software, data infrastructure and small businesses tied to the entertainment economy and can pose a massive economic benefit for our state. 

The entertainment industry works the same as any other: people want more options and easy access to them. Combining Warner Bros.’ legendary library with Netflix’s technology and reach would mean more movies, more TV shows and more original content made under the same U.S.-backed umbrella. By cutting unnecessary overhead and licensing costs, more money can go straight into making great content and supporting the American workers who bring it to life. 

Conservatives have always believed the government should set fair rules, not punish growth or size for its own sake. The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have cleared even bigger, complicated media deals before, including Disney buying Fox and Amazon buying MGM. Changing the rules now would raise real concerns about fairness and consistency. 

Senator Tillis has long emphasized the importance of economic growth, innovation, and keeping America competitive. Families and businesses in North Carolina are watching closely to see if this merger is judged on its real benefits or blocked by ideology. With household budgets stretched and competition intensifying worldwide, the smart choice is the one that benefits consumers, supports workers and strengthens America for the long term. 

Letting the Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery merger move forward does exactly that.