Amazon and MGM ’s project merger is just one of the many goings - on that the United States Justice Department would likely rather have an antitrust expert maintain a close heart on , but the reason it place upright out in many multitude ’s minds is because of the sheer scale of Amazon ’s reach across a smorgasbord of industry . Though Amazon is n’t new to the content - innovation biz , it ’s likely that the company will fence that buying a legacy film studio apartment should n’t concern regulators because Amazon is n’t technically the name to beat when it come to streaming , orproducing moviesandepisodic serial .
Amazon ’s late moves — likespending $ 250 millionfor the rights to the Lord of the Ring dealership , andsinking $ 465 millioninto the first season of the prequel series — have made it easy to see the company as merely succeed the example of other streamer like Netflix that bring forth original contentedness as well as adopt complete undertaking . If the MGM deal is net , even more characters likethe Addams Family , James Bond , andthe Pink Pantherwill have new corporate ownership . But while Amazon look , dissemble , and creates content like a traditional entertainment companionship , it ’s much more than that . Unlike its streaming equal and the traditional film studio it ’s late shown an appetency for , the e - commerce giant ’s foray into original programming has always been a substance of cast more customers in to buy Amazon Prime membership , which include other services like cheaper , faster delivery for the countless products you may buy on its large mart .
The estimate of a singular corporate entity being in controller of massive chunks of on-line DoC , the internet service that other organization like Twitter and Slack economic consumption , and a noteworthy ( butrelatively belittled considering ) chunk of the amusement space alarms many regulators , because of the opening of Monopoly developing . ship’s company like Amazon are always spry to insist that they ’re taking steps to keep that from being the case , but Amazon ’s growth and expansion - oriented actions like the MGM acquisition — its second - largest to date after its 2017 leverage of Whole Foods for $ 13.7 billion — andreports that Amazon also attempted to corrupt Sonydon’t precisely send that same message .
Image: MGM
From MGM ’s perspective , the deal is probably a blessing consideringhow long the studio ’s been up for sales agreement , but by entangling with Amazon , it ’s now moderately difficult to decouple its upcoming labor from some of the ugly realities about the company that now owns them . It ’s odd to think that the James Bond film of the future might be take to you by the same company that give out to great length insisting that its delivery employee were n’t being force tourinate in bottles so as to meet their productivity quotas . unfriendly , abusive workplace subsist in Hollywood long before Amazon threw its hat into the ring , but Amazon’swell - documentedhistory ofunion - busting , and more recently , charge of scupper employee ’ livesare now , at least tangentially , related to MGM ’s universe as a firebrand .
Some of these things , along with claims ofstructural racial discrimination within the companyand concerns aboutprivacy violations , were the subject of discussion during Amazon’sshareholders ’ meeting this workweek , where outgoing CEO Jeff Bezos — who ’s shift into an executive president role — exposit on the “ acquisition dissertation ” behind buy MGM . “ MGM has a vast , deep catalogue of much - darling rational holding , ” Bezos say . “ And with the talent at Amazon and the gift at MGM Studio , we can reimagine and develop that IP for the 21st 100 . ”
Though much of the reportage about the still - pending learning has focused on what will become of MGM ’s major moving-picture show franchises , the deal also has a number of advocates on Capitol Hill touch about Amazon ’s late move to further cement itself as a foundational part of the net ’s infrastructure , and invariant presence feverishly working to keep its client deplete .
An exterior view shows an Amazon fulfillment center on 4 May 2025 in North Las Vegas, Nevada.Photo: Ethan Miller (Getty Images)
presently after news of the acquisition first break , Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D - MN . ) , who heads up the Senate Judiciary ’s antimonopoly subcommittee , put out a populace statementexpressing a desire for more superintendence over these kinds of large - scale mergers out of an abundance of caution . “ This is also a reminder of why we demand to fund our antitrust agencies so they can take on investigations of multi - billion dollar mark deal , ” Klobuchar said . “ Our government can not ensure major corp are meet by the rule if enforcement agency are chronically underfunded . ” Across the aisle , Sen. Josh Hawley ( R - MO)—who was best known as an enemy of Big Tech beforesullying his reputationby dispute President Joe Biden ’s triumph as MAGA riotersstormed the Capitolbuilding — not only opposes Amazon ’s MGM attainment , hetweetedon Wednesday that Amazon “ should n’t be permitted to buy anything else . stop . ” Over in the House of Representatives , Rep. Ken Buck ( R - CO)—who contend the results of the2020 election , and vote against the $ 8.3 billion emergency funding computer software to combat covid-19 last March — shared like worriesand call for compound examination of “ mergers and acquisition involving monopoly companies feel enormous and exponential growth . ”
Political figures like Klobucher and Buck ’s reaction to the news of the skill have been in line with their preceding stances on the need for more strict regulations , but it persist to be seen how the Biden administration — which still hasnot appointed an assistant lawyer generalto channelise up the Justice Department ’s investigating into antimonopoly — will respond . Though the White House has submitted multiple potential candidates for the role , the process has been hamstring by objections kindle by White House moral philosophy watchdogs worried that campaigner ’ pasts both defending and critiquing tech giants like Google make them unqualified for the job .
Also looming over the accomplishment isan antitrust lawsuit file earlier this weekby Washington , DC , Attorney General Karl Racine over Amazon ’s “ most - favored - nation ” clause , which prohibits third - party Amazon retailers from selling their good at grim Mary Leontyne Price on other digital market place . Racine ’s cause argue that Amazon ’s maneuver have the ending answer of by artificial means inflating damage across the net as a whole while also piddle it difficult for other market to compete . Though that lawsuit is on-going , it ’s important to note that the specific language of Amazon ’s most - favored - nation article was stick in in direct response to early investigating into the company ’s “ damage parity provision , ” which result to similar concerns from European authorities who were at last capable to force the company to stop the practice in 2013 . It was n’t until 2019 that Amazon axed the price mirror symmetry provision here in the U.S. , but the way that the caller quickly rolled out the most - favored - country clause suggests that it very much intend to act on the practice , or practice like it , in the futurity .
Amazon ’s persistent spare-time activity of policy that seem designed to harm autonomous retailers every bit as much they accommodate the desires of consumer does n’t precisely make it easy to opine that it intends to play fair in the stream war . But as these megacorporations remain to consolidate IP and work up out massive walled gardens audiences are n’t meant to ever full leave , it ’s up to those audiences to practice their free will and think critically about the blanket social structure that own the amusement they consume .
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