IDA Statement Opposing A Merger Involving Warner Bros. Discovery
Updated on March 3, 2026– Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery
March 3, 2026
Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced February 27, would be devastating to US documentary filmmakers, the film industry, consumers, and free speech. Documentaries play a vital role in getting real stories to audiences and building a healthy democratic culture. By merging Paramount+ and HBO Max — two of the most significant platforms for documentary film — this deal would sharply reduce the competitive marketplace that independent nonfiction filmmakers depend on to get their work made and seen. Previous similar mergers stifled competition, inhibited free expression, limited the films available to audiences, and hurt film workers throughout the industry.
This merger, however, raises concerns that go beyond consolidation. IDA is committed to the defense of free expression, and we are deeply troubled by the concentration of editorial and cultural power this deal would place in the hands of a single entity with close ties to the current federal administration. That proximity creates a serious risk of political jawboning — the use of government influence to pressure media companies over what they commission, platform, or suppress. A free and independent documentary sector cannot survive in a media landscape vulnerable to that kind of interference.
IDA strongly opposes this merger and intends to work with peer organizations, filmmakers, film workers, and audiences to block it at every stage of the regulatory process.
January 14, 2026
Watch the video from the Media Consolidation: a Teach-In
Does the language of mergers and corporate media consolidation leave you confused or unsure of how it may impact you and what you can do about it?
Watch this free community teach-in presented by IDA, Future Film Coalition, and Art House Convergence. Together with a coalition of partners representing a breadth of independent voices, both fiction and nonfiction, we break down the anatomy of mergers, how and when we are likely to be able to give public input on the current Warner Brothers Discovery proposed merger, how to most effectively make that public comment, and advocacy strategies that 501(c)(3) organizations can safely take without jeopardizing their status in defense of their mission and their constituents. Learn from leading experts from the American Economic Liberties Project and Free Press.
Watch the seminar on the IDA YouTube channel or visit our website at documentary.org.
December 5, 2025
International Documentary Association Statement on the Proposed Netflix Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery
This afternoon, as IDA begins the largest gathering of documentary filmmakers in Los Angeles on the eve of its awards, the organization has released the following statement:
Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery jeopardizes the future of documentary filmmaking.
Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would profoundly damage the future of documentary filmmaking. It represents the consolidation of two of the main distributors of documentaries: Netflix and HBO Max.
This mega-deal immediately threatens documentarians’ creative opportunities and their freedom to tell stories that need to be told. It will also drastically reduce the range and overall quality of documentaries available to audiences worldwide. Netflix’s overwhelming market dominance will inevitably stifle competition, inhibit free expression, and limit viewer choice.
We call on regulators to block this anticompetitive acquisition. IDA joins with others in building collective action to oppose a deal that would permanently harm documentary filmmaking.
IDA will present a Media Consolidation Teach-In, in collaboration with Future Film Coalition, on December 17 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT. At this virtual event, we will share information on how to build collective action to protect documentary and independent film broadly.
October 29, 2025
The merger of Warner Bros. Discovery with Paramount or any other major studio or large streamer would be devastating to US documentary filmmakers, the film industry, consumers, and free speech in the United States. Documentaries have been one of the resurgent American art forms of the 21st century, and play a vital role in getting real stories to audiences around the country. Previous similar mergers stifled competition, inhibited free expression, limited the films available to audiences, and hurt film workers throughout the industry. If Paramount does buy Warner Bros., IDA will strongly oppose the merger and intends to work with others to block it.