The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) plans to raise the “red flags” of the proposed Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery mega merger head on during a meeting with the streamer at the start of next year.
The WGGB, which counts Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne as its President, didn’t go as far as its American counterpart but General Secretary Ellie Peers said “it is only right that the Netflix Warner Bros deal faces regulatory scrutiny.” The Writers Guild of America has called for the merger, which has left Hollywood reeling, to be blocked.
“There will be understandable concern about the impact of the Netflix Warner Bros deal, particularly from our screenwriting members in TV and film,” said Peers. “A mega-merger like this raises red flags about competition, content and the implications for creators working in an increasingly global marketplace, at a time of industry contraction.”
Peers said the issue of “concern” will be raised with Netflix during the WGGB’s regular meeting with the streamer early next year. It is understood that this will be one of several topics on the agenda. The WGGB has regular meetings with the broadcasters and Netflix, with which it has collective bargaining agreements.
The proposal comes around 20 months after the WGGB struck a landmark deal for live action scripted with Netflix, a first of its kind, which sees writers paid a minimum script fee including six months exploitation on the Netflix service (worldwide) and non-theatrical and promotional rights. Writers are also given 5.6% of gross receipts if their production is exploited off Netflix.
The WGGB represents the interests of some of the best and brightest UK scribes and Netflix’s relationship with the guild is a crucial one. Talent relations have already been spotlighted as ripe for a major shift if the deal does go through. The fast-moving story has just seen another twist with Paramount launching a hostile takeover offer of $30 per share in cash, valuing WBD more than $20BN ahead of Netflix. More details will be incoming for the remainder of today.
Bodies in the UK have reacted with alarm to the Netflix-WBD deal. Broadcasting union Bectu said the proposal is “a hugely worrying development for anyone who values competition, and a plurality of voices and stories in entertainment and the media,” while actors union Equity used it as a reason to argue more staunchly for artificial intelligence protections. “While company ownership shifts, Equity contracts… endure”, said head of film and TV Cathy Sweet.
Netflix calls the UK its second most important territory and the nation has been a hits juggernaut of late, birthing Adolescence, Baby Reindeer and The Gentlemen. Thorne, who co-created Adolescence with Stephen Graham, took over as President of the WGGB earlier this year. Adolescence landed five noms this morning at the Golden Globes.