Netflix officially announces its acquisition of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion

Netflix just pulled off a huge move that’s going to change how we watch movies and TV completely. The company officially announced its purchase of Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max in a deal worth an estimated $82.7 billion.

After weeks of rumours, this massive purchase makes Netflix the king of content, giving it way more power in the global entertainment world.

Don't expect everything to change tomorrow. There’s a big step Warner Bros. has to take first. The studio needs to completely split off its old cable TV business and its stuff with Discovery.

Think of it as cleaning house before the new owner moves in. This necessary spin-off is expected to be finished around late 2026. Once that’s done, Netflix and the new assets can officially merge and start working together as one company.

This is great news for Netflix subscribers. The biggest perk is a huge boost to the content library. Soon, you'll be able to watch tons of classic Warner Bros. films and shows, plus all the high-quality, must-see programming from HBO and HBO Max, all in one place.

Netflix has promised not to mess with everything, saying that Warner Bros will keep its existing operations and still release movies in theatres first.

However, the HBO Max brand will likely be retired. All that great HBO content will simply be added directly to the Netflix app, meaning one less streaming subscription to worry about.

This massive deal is already running into walls. News reports suggest that the purchase will face serious pushback from other rival companies and government groups that review business mergers.

Paramount Skydance was quick to raise objections, complaining that the entire buying process was "unfair" even before Netflix made the announcement official. What makes this a bigger deal is the background of Paramount’s new owner, who happens to have powerful friends in high places, meaning strong political connections.

Because of this, the merger isn't just going through the usual business checks. It’s almost certainly going to face extra political pressure, making it a seriously difficult fight to get government approval.