Listen to the article
Senate Republicans grilled Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos during a contentious Tuesday hearing about the streaming giant’s proposed $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. film and streaming divisions. The high-profile executive faced accusations that Netflix is a “left-wing company” with a history of promoting “wokeness” and “propaganda.”
The typically composed Sarandos appeared visibly flustered during the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights hearing as Republican senators launched pointed questions about political bias, diversity initiatives, and content decisions.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) led the charge, directly accusing Netflix of being a politically biased organization. After referencing Sunday’s Grammy Awards on CBS—owned by Paramount Skydance, a rival bidder for Warner Bros. Discovery—Cruz highlighted Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings’ history of Democratic political donations. He questioned how audiences could be “remotely confident” that a Netflix-Warner Bros. merger wouldn’t create a joint “propaganda outlet.”
“CNN is already a dumpster fire,” Cruz said, referring to the Warner Bros.-owned news network that has long been criticized by former President Donald Trump. “There is nothing resembling objectivity. Nothing resembling journalism anymore.”
Sarandos defended his company by emphasizing Netflix’s core identity as an entertainment business. “When subscribers fire up the streamer, they are tuned in to be entertained,” he told Cruz, adding that pushing any political agenda would constitute a “bad business decision.”
The questioning continued along similar lines when Missouri Republican Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt took their turns. Schmitt complained that “the overwhelming majority of your stuff right now is overwhelmingly woke, and it’s not reflective of what the American people want to see.” He specifically criticized what he called Netflix’s habit of “race swapping both historical and real and fictional characters.”
Hawley focused his questioning on children’s programming, asking why Netflix platforms content that he claimed “promotes a transgender ideology.”
Sarandos rejected these characterizations, telling the Missouri senators, “We have a great deal of programming on Netflix for all left, right and center. We have state-of-the-art tools for parents to manage what their kids see on Netflix.”
The hearing comes amid an intense corporate battle for Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance, which made a hostile $108.4 billion bid in December, is competing against Netflix for the media conglomerate. The acquisition would significantly reshape the media landscape, potentially bringing together Netflix’s streaming dominance with Warner Bros.’ extensive film library and television networks, including CNN.
Despite the confrontational tone of much of the hearing, Sarandos found opportunities to offer strategic flattery, particularly regarding Trump’s scrutiny of the proposed deal. “I think the President, from my experience, has been nothing but interested in protecting and creating American jobs,” Sarandos said, adding that he believes the merger “would stand on its merits” at the end of the day.
Trump previously indicated he might favor Paramount Skydance in the competition, suggesting any deal should include commitments to overhaul CNN. The former president told reporters, “I don’t think the people that are running that company right now, and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue.”
The hearing highlights how media consolidation has become increasingly entangled with partisan politics, as lawmakers express concerns about ideological influence in entertainment and news content during a high-stakes election year.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
7 Comments
The ‘woke’ debate is a complex one. I can understand concerns about political bias, but Netflix also has a track record of diverse and inclusive programming. It would be good to see a nuanced analysis.
Interesting to see the political tensions around this proposed merger. I’m curious to learn more about the specific concerns regarding biased content and lack of diversity. Open discussion is important.
The ‘woke’ label gets thrown around a lot these days. I’d be interested to see a more detailed analysis of Netflix’s policies and content decisions, beyond just partisan accusations.
This Netflix controversy is certainly polarizing. While political bias is always concerning, I’d like to see a more balanced assessment of the company’s policies and content decisions.
Concerns about political bias are understandable, but I’d want to see concrete evidence before making judgments. Healthy debate is good, but it needs to be grounded in facts.
This seems like a politically charged issue. While I respect the right to critique perceived bias, I’d want to see a more balanced assessment before forming an opinion. Facts over rhetoric.
It’s concerning to hear allegations of political propaganda, but I’d want to see a more thorough investigation before drawing conclusions. Healthy debate is good, but it needs to be based on facts.