Netflix Quietly Explored EA and Disney Takeovers

A new report from Bloomberg says Netflix has looked at some huge buyouts in the past, including Electronic Arts, Disney, and Fox. None of those ideas turned into real deals, but they show how far the company was willing to think when planning its future.

Netflix has become one of the biggest players in entertainment, especially after announcing that it plans to buy Warner Bros. in 2026 for $82.7 billion.

That deal is expected to give Netflix control of well-known studios like NetherRealm, Rocksteady, TT Games, and Avalanche. But according to Bloomberg, Netflix had explored other possible acquisitions long before the Warner Bros. plan became public.

Bloomberg reports that Netflix’s top leaders talked about going after nearly every major media or gaming company that went up for sale. The report says the team even looked at Electronic Arts and Fox, and at one point talked about the idea of buying Disney.

The outlet describes Netflix as an unexpected bidder because its co-founder Reed Hastings usually prefers building new things instead of buying established companies. Hastings is described as someone who avoids big mergers, choosing to grow the company “from scratch.”

Even though the company talked through these ideas, Netflix never moved forward. Bloomberg says the executives couldn’t fully agree on any of the deals.

Leaders also worried about paying too much and damaging Netflix’s stock value. The report notes that executives did not want to “hurt their stock price by overpaying for an asset that traded at a much lower multiple.”

Before Netflix began its push to take over Warner Bros., co-CEO Greg Peters shared his own concerns about big mergers. He said, “One should have a reasonable amount of skepticism around big media mergers, they don’t have an amazing track record.” That comment led many people to believe that Netflix wasn’t planning any large deals at all.

Now, with the Warner Bros. acquisition moving forward and other companies like Paramount trying to make their own offers, Netflix’s strategy has become a major topic in the entertainment world.

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