Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson

(Preview) Netflix Opportunities and Anxieties, Merger Hurdles to Come, Hollywood’s Endgame and What Comes Next

Freitag, 12. Dezember 2025 · 20 min

MP3

Shownotes

Andrew and Ben talk through Netflix’s proposed $72 billion deal to buy Warner Brothers, including the logic for Netflix, the frictionless nature of competition on the internet, and the threat that Netflix sees from YouTube. Then: David Zaslav’s windfall, and an argument about the regulatory questions that may scuttle this deal. At the end: The better business model between YouTube and Netflix, an emailer wonders why everyone is mourning the end of a Hollywood business that can’t succeed in the modern marketplace, groupchats and the college experience, and a word about Flighty.

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Netflix and the Hollywood End Game — Stratechery (stratechery.com/2025/netflix-and-the-hollywood…)

Netflix and the Flattening of Everything — Sharp Text (sharptext.net/2025/netflix-and-the-flattening-…)

An Emergency Interview with Michael Nathanson About Netflix’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. — Stratechery Interview (stratechery.com/2025/an-emergency-interview-wi…)

Economic Power in the Age of Abundance — Stratechery (stratechery.com/2014/economic-power-age-abunda…)

Spotify, Netflix, and Aggregation — Stratechery (stratechery.com/2022/spotify-netflix-and-aggre…)

An Interview with Ryan Jones About Flighty and Building Apps in 2025 — Stratechery Interview (stratechery.com/2025/an-interview-with-ryan-jo…)

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