Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos faced a Senate hearing over the proposed $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studio assets, with lawmakers scrutinizing antitrust implications, labor issues, and potential consumer price effects.

Senators warned of possible downsides, including job losses, higher prices, reduced content, and harm to theaters, while pressing on how competition could be affected since Netflix would absorb HBO Max.

The hearing followed Netflix’s announced $83 billion bid to gain control of Warner Bros. film and TV studios, its lot, and HBO/HBO Max, with Netflix taking on more than $10 billion of Warner’s debt and valuing the enterprise around $82.7 billion.

Sen. Josh Hawley challenged statements about transgender ideology in children’s programming, citing a statistic from a conservative report without providing a source.

Ellison did not attend in person but met privately with lawmakers, and views of his bid’s reception varied by party, potentially easing concerns for some Republicans while raising questions for Democrats.

Conservative narratives against the deal were amplified by MAGA influencers and Trump-aligned allies, depicting the merger as a monopoly advancing a political agenda.

Sarandos stressed the review would be merit-based, insisting regulators will assess the merger without political interference.

Hawley pressed on Netflix’s political content and woke narratives; Sarandos argued the company has no political agenda and offers a broad, diverse slate driven by consumer choice.

Netflix maintained it serves a wide audience with content across the political spectrum and did not advocate a specific political ideology.

Hawley accused Netflix of promoting transgender ideology in children’s content; Netflix executives disputed the claim and reiterated no political agenda.

The hearing occurred amid broader tensions, with Republicans questioning the deal’s potential influence on content and politics, including discussions around perceived woke content and Trump involvement.

Republicans urged blocking Netflix from becoming a dominant content platform, warning of monopoly risk and cultural influence, while Democrats flagged antitrust considerations and market impacts.