George Jepsen Argues Paramount-WBD Merger Could Counter Big Tech

Streaming bills for the average American household have surged nearly 26 percent since 2021, forcing families to balance multiple rising costs. Jepsen contends that a combined Paramount-WBD would not create a monopoly, but rather a fifth-place contender capable of challenging the market share currently held by Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and YouTube. Together, those four tech giants control 65 percent of U.S. streaming viewership, leaving smaller studios struggling to maintain scale.

From a regulatory perspective, the merger falls below the 30 percent market share threshold that typically triggers federal antitrust concerns. Jepsen, who served as Connecticut's attorney general for eight years, emphasizes that the industry has lost over 15,000 jobs since 2021. He suggests that a unified studio entity could stabilize production pipelines, pointing to Paramount’s commitment to 30 films annually and a 45-day theatrical window. By fostering competition against larger platforms, the merger could provide the downward pressure on consumer costs that current market dynamics fail to deliver.