Key Points
- Historically, Netflix has avoided acquisitions.
- Peers like Disney, on the other hand, have used the tactic to ramp up growth.
- After two acquisitions in one week, Netflix may be changing its tack.
In less than a decade, Netflix went from a DVD-by-mail company to pioneering and now leading the video streaming industry.
That’s impressive enough in and of itself, but what’s most remarkable is that the company did it all on its own, without making any of the blockbuster acquisitions that have become commonplace in the media industry. In fact, nearly all of Netflix’s rivals have come to the fore thanks to major mergers or acquisitions. It’s hard to imagine Disney (NYSE:DIS), the owner of Hulu and Disney+, without Marvel, Pixar, and LucasFilm, and its more recent $71 billion acquisition of Fox‘s entertainment assets. Similarly, HBOMax is the result of AT&T‘s acquisition of Time Warner, and now the telecom giant is set to spin off its Warner Media division, which contains HBO as well as TNT and TBS, with Discovery Communications. Viacom and CBS got back together to form ViacomCBS and launch Paramount+, and even Amazon nabbed MGM Studios for $8.5 billion, giving it the James Bond franchise, among other prizes.
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