"They bonded over a mutual understanding that the root of all the issues the Guild faced at that time was Hollywood's continuing consolidation into bigger and bigger corporate giants, agreeing that these companies could get away with cost-cutting measures that would leave the industry worse off."
"They call on state attorneys general to do "what President Trump's antitrust enforcers likely will not" and block the merger "on antitrust grounds.""
"To explicate how and why the merger could be so bad, the pair say that having more studios leads to more competition, which leads to creating riskier projects, like Ruffalo's HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True and Best Picture winner Spotlight. "Competition and opportunities for brave storytelling are intrinsically related, and we both knew that having lots of competitive outlets to produce art and lots of paths to distribute it helps to ensure that riskier, more controversial films and TV shows keep getting made," they write."
"Ruffalo and Stoller go on to say that, even though they know many people in Hollywood don't support the merger but are afraid to speak out, the "growing coalition" will cause the tide to turn, not just in entertainment but perhaps on an even larger scale."
In 2023, Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller connected during the Writers Guild strike and linked the Guild’s problems to Hollywood’s ongoing consolidation into larger corporate entities. They argue that bigger companies can cut costs in ways that worsen conditions across the industry. They call the proposed Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger frightening but still preventable through action by industry participants and government officials. They urge state attorneys general to block the merger on antitrust grounds. They contend that more studios increase competition, which supports riskier projects and broader opportunities for storytelling and distribution. They also emphasize solidarity and predict that a growing coalition can shift outcomes beyond entertainment.
#hollywood-consolidation #antitrust-policy #media-mergers #creative-competition #writers-guild-strike
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