from the no-corruption-here,-no-sir dept
Shortly after Netflix introduced a $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Brothers, the Ellison household, alongside Jared Kushner and the Saudis, unveiled their very own hostile takeover bid to pre-empt the deal. As we’ve mentioned, Larry Ellison is attempting to gobble up what’s left of previous media (CBS, Paramount, Warner Brothers, CNN) and fuse it with new media (TikTok) to create a proper wing, billionaire-simping, propaganda secure area that blows smoke up the asses of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
Apparently, Jared Kushner and his funding agency Affinity Companions didn’t like the eye the partnership was producing, and have introduced their tactical retreat:
“The dynamics of the funding have modified considerably since we initially grew to become concerned in October,” the spokesperson mentioned. “We proceed to consider there’s a robust strategic rationale for Paramount’s supply.”
And by “dynamics,” Affinity signifies that the the president’s son-in-law partnering with Saudis and the planet’s second-richest technofascist billionaire to gobble up the remnants of dying U.S. company media was producing a number of too many detrimental headlines for his or her liking.
The $108 billion hostile takeover bid remains to be being backed (for now, apparently) by the Saudis. And, in fact, it’s nonetheless the brainchild of proper wing Trump billionaire ally Larry Ellison, who will assuredly obtain favorable remedy ought to the dispute wind up being settled by the Trump DOJ or Trump-corrupted courts.
For his half, Trump is attempting to faux Ellison isn’t a detailed ally and big marketing campaign donor, as a result of, one can solely presume, he assumes you’re all very silly:
“For these people who assume I’m shut with the brand new house owners of CBS, please perceive that ’60 Minutes’ has handled me far worse for the reason that so-called ‘takeover’ than they’ve ever handled me earlier than,” Trump wrote. “If they’re mates, I’d hate to see my enemies!”
In fact, Bari Weiss and Larry Ellison’s conversion of CBS right into a proper wing propaganda mill has solely simply begun, so the truth that 60 Minutes sometimes nonetheless makes our thin-skinned president mad doesn’t actually account for a lot. Ellison has met personally with Trump, immediately promising all method of firings and “information distortions” at CNN ought to the president grant regulatory approval.
The entire fracas places Democrats in a little bit of a bind. In an excellent world with functioning regulators, you’d advocate for the rejection of all extra media consolidation, as a result of these offers — whether or not Netflix or Paramount — routinely lead to mass layoffs and better costs for customers.
However as a result of Congress and U.S. regulators not operate as a consequence of corruption (regardless of a variety of pretense on the contrary), it’s unlikely that all offers will probably be blocked. And whereas Netflix is actually no saint, conserving consolidated company media possession out of the fingers of extremist authoritarian zealots hell bent on dismantling democracy with propaganda is fairly clearly the higher choice.
Which signifies that Democrats and organizations eager on really serving to (and conserving U.S. Democracy semi-operational) are most likely higher off discovering widespread trigger with Netflix. There’s dogshit Netflix homogenized consolidation, which is certainly unhealthy, after which there’s authoritarian state tv dominated by the planet’s second richest techno-fascist asshole, which is considerably worse
Filed Below: consolidation, donald trump, jared kushner, journalism, larry ellison, media, mergers, propaganda
Firms: affinity companions, netflix, paramount, warner bros. discovery
