Actors Union SAG-AFTRA Plotting Strike over Netflix-Warner Bros Merger

Hollywood actor union Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is plotting to go on strike next year over the possible acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by streaming giant Netflix, a report says.

Sources are telling reporters that SAG-AFTRA is currently “building a war room” in opposition to the merger — fearing that allowing the streamer to take over a film studio will be a disaster for actors and filmmakers, according to the New York Post.

“They believe that it’s bad for their members and it’s bad for consumers. A strike is not off the table if things heat up,” the Post added.

It has also been reported that Netflix has already reached out to the various Hollywood unions in hopes of putting them at ease over the possible merger. The streamer, though, has made no public comments about these talks.

SAG-AFTRA, though, seems to be working to oppose the merger and may be reaching out to “members who have a vested interest in coming out against this proposal.”

“There is no timeline as yet, and there is no motion to ballot so far. But they are going to ramp up their opposition to this deal in the first quarter of 2026,” the paper said a source told them.

Officially, though, the union has taken no public stance on the merger. SAG-AFTRA spokesperson Pamela Greenwalt has said only that the merger “requires careful review and analysis which is in progress. Any position we take will be determined based on the best interests of SAG-AFTRA members.”

Greenwalt also noted that streaming rights and contracts are not negotiated by individual studios but are instead handled by an industry-wide bargaining group.

However, the union has already expressed concerns about the merger and said in a December 5 statement that it “raises many serious questions about its impact on the future of the entertainment industry, and especially the human creative talent whose livelihoods and careers depend on it.”

Many industry insiders fear that if the studios and filmmakers fall under the control of too few companies it will sooner or later lead to monopolistic practices that will slash actor pay.

Paramount-Skydance had made an attempt at a hostile takeover of WBD with a$78 billion bid to acquire the studio. But WBD’s board has thus far rejected the offer and have said the Netflix offer is their main focus.

Any deal, though, would still have to be approved by both U.S. and European regulators. And already some U.S. politicians have raised the alarm over the deal.

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