Everybody seems fairly wary of Disney buying up a bunch of 21st Century Fox’s assets—specifically its movie and TV studios—since it seems like a big step toward letting the mouse people take over all media, but the Writers Guild Of America West is particularly frustrated with this deal. As reported by Variety, the WGA West has released what it calls a “blistering attack” on Disney’s deal to buy the Fox properties, saying that it will end up coming “at the expense of the creators who power their television and film operations.” The group also says it now intends to fight the merger by working “to ensure our nation’s antitrust laws are enforced,” because it believes the antitrust risks here are “obvious and significant.”
That all seems to underplay how exciting it’ll be to see the X-Men meet the Avengers, but maybe there really are bigger concerns here. You can see WGA West’s full statement below.
In the relentless drive to eliminate competition, big business has an insatiable appetite for consolidation. Disney and Fox have spent decades profiting from the oligopolistic control that the six major media conglomerates have exercised over the entertainment industry, often at the expense of the creators who power their television and film operations. Now, this proposed merger of direct competitors will make matters even worse by substantially increasing the market power of a combined Disney-Fox corporation. The antitrust concerns raised by this deal are obvious and significant. The Writers Guild of America West strongly opposes this merger and will work to ensure our nation’s antitrust laws are enforced.