BONUS POD: Why the Netflix–Warner Bros Merger Is a Vote for American Jobs & Freedom

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Verdict with Ted Cruz
Episode: BONUS POD: Why the Netflix–Warner Bros Merger Is a Vote for American Jobs & Freedom
Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson (with commentary and references to Ted Cruz’s viewpoints)
(Note: Ted Cruz does not directly appear in the transcript. Ben Ferguson leads the episode.)

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Overview of the Episode’s Main Theme

This bonus episode is dedicated to analyzing the high-stakes congressional hearing in Washington, D.C. regarding the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. Host Ben Ferguson explores the implications for American jobs, national security, and cultural influence amidst increasing competition from foreign adversaries—especially China. The core argument: supporting this merger means bolstering American economic and creative strength, countering foreign (particularly authoritarian) influence in global media, and safeguarding the nation’s “secret weapon” of cultural exports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Framing the Merger as a National Security Issue

• American Cultural Dominance:

  • For over a century, American film and TV have “carried our values around the world,” acting as an engine for “freedom, creativity, open expression” ([05:07]–[06:00]).
  • The podcast strongly frames the Netflix-Warner Bros merger as not merely a business transaction, but a move with “direct” ramifications for “American jobs,” “movie making,” and “US national security” ([05:26]).

• Foreign Adversaries’ Media Strategies:

  • China is singled out as aggressively seeking to “silence American movies” and spread “propaganda.”
  • The episode recalls the TikTok controversy as evidence of China’s willingness to manipulate narratives via tech/media investments ([07:11]).

2. Economic Impact: American Jobs and Domestic Investment

• Scope of American Entertainment Industry:

  • Ferguson emphasizes the hundreds of thousands of “good paying American jobs”—from writers and actors to set builders, marketers, and support staff ([06:07]–[06:40]).
  • These are “middle class jobs,” widely distributed across states (California, Texas, Georgia, New Mexico, New Jersey). He illustrates with a personal anecdote: “Today I’m going to basically help employ a team of 15 people…cameraman, makeup artists, editors, producers…” ([06:49]).

• Domestic Investment Examples:

  • He highlights Netflix’s $1B investment in a New Jersey studio, generating 5,000+ jobs—a “snowball effect” for regional economies ([07:27]–[08:06]).
  • “That investment turns a former military base into an engine of American production, innovation and employment.” ([07:48])

• Stability Through Scale:

  • Combining Netflix and Warner Bros would “create a stronger, more resilient American company” able to undertake major domestic projects ([08:23]).
  • “When companies are weakened or fragmented…production slows, opportunities shrink, layoffs happen. Scale brings stability. Stability protects and creates more American jobs. This is a no-brainer for me.” ([08:09])

3. American Content as Strategic Global Asset

• Cultural Reach & Countering Authoritarian Narratives:

  • “American movies and television reach more people globally than any government program or diplomatic initiative. They literally shape how the world views the United States of America.” ([09:05])

• Example of Chinese Censorship:

  • The “Top Gun: Maverick” case:
    • Blocked in China over a small Taiwan flag patch on Tom Cruise’s jacket. Used as evidence of how Beijing demands “political compliance and self-censorship” from the West ([09:57]–[10:30]).
    • “Access to China’s markets require you bowing down to them.” ([10:35])

4. Lessons from History and Reagan’s Doctrine

• Historical Context—Reagan’s Approach:

  • Ronald Reagan’s work battling communist influence in Hollywood and his belief that “cultural leadership” was central to American security ([10:43]).
  • Quote: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” ([10:53])

• Reagan’s warning is leveraged to stress that “protecting American culture…matters more now…than ever.” ([11:02])

5. Risks of Foreign Investment in Entertainment

• Foreign-Backed Takeovers Raise Concerns:

  • Ferguson warns about studio consolidation driven by $24 billion in foreign capital from the Middle East (“Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar”) ([11:19]).
  • “Foreign governments do not invest billions in American media for fun. They do it to gain leverage. Influence narratives. Shape what you see and hear.” ([11:38])

• Potential Dangers:

  • Fewer studios could mean less competition, higher consumer costs, more layoffs, and an ecosystem more vulnerable to foreign manipulation ([11:13]–[11:30]).
  • “We have laws on the books for a reason—to protect the American marketplace and the American people from foreign manipulation.” ([11:35])

6. Advocacy for the Merger

• Key Conclusion:
  • Ferguson asserts the merger isn’t about killing competition, but rather, “it actually strengthens [the] American company…and allows for us to get foreign-backed actors out of our studios.” ([13:08])
  • “This Netflix Warner Brothers Discovery merger…it’s a vote for American workers, American creativity, and American strength.” ([13:16])
  • Closing call to action: “Call your Senator, tell him what you think, tell him if you want to back as I do the Netflix Warner Brothers Discovery merger.” ([13:40])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“For more than a century, American films and television have carried our values around the world of freedom, creativity, open expression. The cultural influences have been one of America’s greatest strategic advantages. And today, I would say that is under real threat.”
— Ben Ferguson ([05:07])

“A combined Netflix and Warner Brothers Discovery would create not only a stronger, but a more resilient American company…and it would create an American company able to invest consistently in one thing that matters the most to me: U.S. production instead of foreign production.”
— Ben Ferguson ([08:23])

“American movies and television reach more people globally than any government program or diplomatic initiative. They literally shape how the world views the United States of America.”
— Ben Ferguson ([09:05])

“China refused to allow [Top Gun: Maverick] to be shown in its theaters. Why? Because of a small patch on Tom Cruise’s leather flight jacket depicting the flag of Taiwan…That single symbol was enough for Beijing to block the film entirely. The message was unmistakable…access to China’s markets require you bowing down to them.”
— Ben Ferguson ([09:57])

“Foreign governments do not invest billions in American media for fun. They do it to gain leverage. Influence narratives. Shape what you see and hear. That’s why I say this is a direct national security concern.”
— Ben Ferguson ([11:38])

“This Netflix Warner Brothers Discovery merger, it doesn’t eliminate competition, it actually strengthens [the] American company and allows for us to get foreign-backed actors out of our studios. That’s why I say that this merger is important. It’s a vote for American workers, American creativity, and American strength.”
— Ben Ferguson ([13:08])

“Ronald Reagan knew culture, influence was national security and power. That, my friends, hasn’t changed.”
— Ben Ferguson ([13:21])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:01] – Episode theme set: Ben Ferguson introduces the op-ed and hearing topic
• [05:07] – Importance of American cultural dominance globally
• [06:07] – Economic impact on “good paying American jobs”
• [07:27] – Netflix’s $1B investment in New Jersey
• [08:09] – Argument for scale and stability in American media
• [09:05] – Cultural exports and their strategic value
• [09:57] – Story of Top Gun: Maverick and Chinese censorship
• [10:43] – Ronald Reagan’s legacy on media and security
• [11:19] – Foreign investment concerns: $24B from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi
• [13:08] – Key summary: why the merger supports American interests

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Summary Table

| Segment Time | Topic/Quote/Summary | |---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | [04:01]–[05:07] | Introduction, op-ed context, importance of the issue | | [06:07] | “Hundreds of thousands of good paying American jobs” | | [07:27] | Netflix $1B NJ studio investment, 5,000 jobs | | [08:09] | Argument for scale & stability: protecting against fragmentation & layoffs | | [09:05] | “American movies and television reach more people globally…”; cultural influence and soft power | | [09:57] | Top Gun: Maverick censored in China over a Taiwan patch | | [10:43] | Reagan: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction”; lessons from Cold War era media battles | | [11:19] | Risks of $24B from foreign actors in media (Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar) | | [13:08]–[13:40] | Final argument: merger supports American jobs, creativity, strength; call to action—contact Senators in support of the merger |

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Episode Tone and Style

The tone is patriotic, urgent, and unapologetically pro-American industry. Ferguson makes an emotive, values-driven argument—combining anecdotes, historical references, and national security concerns—while using direct, accessible language to connect with a mainstream audience. China’s influence, loss of American jobs, and the role of entertainment in projecting American ideals are central, recurring themes.

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Bottom Line:
The podcast frames the Netflix–Warner Bros Discovery merger as a crucial step to safeguarding American jobs, creative leadership, and national security in the face of authoritarian foreign influence—especially from China. Listeners are called to advocate for the merger, armed with talking points about jobs, cultural power, and the dangers of foreign investment in U.S. media.

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Transcript

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[D]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Good Tuesday morning. It's nice to have have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got one big story for you, a major hearing in Washington, D.C. it deals with Netflix and Warner Brothers and the merger and is a hearing about jobs, national security and standing up to China. And we have all the details for you. Can you buy real bitcoin in your retirement account? If not, it's time to upgrade to Bitcoin. Ira you can buy and sell bitcoin with major tax advantages. Visit Bitcoin ira.comBen to learn more. Right now, that's Bitcoin ira.comBen or call 866-679-7871. That's 866-679-7871. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now.

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Story number one.

[D]

I wrote a book years ago and after that I stopped writing for a very long time. But this week I decided to write an op ed that you can read on foxnews.com I'm also going to post the link up on social media so you can follow me on X Ben Ferguson show or on Instagram BEN FERGUSON Podcast and you can read the entire article. Now, what made me decide to write an article is a major issue, one of importance, one that Ronald Reagan understood and that is America needs to have dominance in the world when it comes to what we're putting out. Yes, I'm talking about movies. You may remember that Donald Trump also understood this about the importance of television and exporting what American freedom actually looks like. We also have other adversaries around the world that want nothing more than to silence American movies and put their propaganda everywhere. The biggest person that's looking to do this is China. They're coming after our kids to the point where they had to sell TikTok to American ownership. They understand the value of silencing and censoring different things and people. And that is exactly why this hearing in Washington, D.C. today is vitally important. And it deals with A merger. Now, I'm going to read for you the op Ed that I have put together and give you a little bit of commentary throughout. But I hope that all of you will take the op ed and this show and share it wherever you can. Because this hearing actually deals with national security, putting America first, and exporting freedom of speech and freedom through the arts to the rest of the world. Today in Washington, a critical hearing will help decide the future of America's entertainment industry and America's influence abroad. The question before lawmakers is simple but consequential. Will the United States strengthen its own creative companies or weaken them just as foreign adversaries use media culture and capital to shape global narratives? At the center of the debate is a proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Brothers Discovery. This should not be treated as just another corporate deal. That's why I'm talking about it right now, by the way, on this show. It directly affects American jobs, it directly affects American movie making, and it directly affects US national security. Let me explain why. For more than a century, American films and television have carried our values around the world of freedom, creativity, open expression. The cultural influences have been one of America's greatest strategic advantages. And today I would say that is under real threat. The entertainment industry supports hundreds of thousands of good paying American jobs. This includes writers and actors, camera crews, editors, visual effects artists, set builders, marketers and engineers. And then don't even count all the people behind the scenes to get hired for social media and things like that. Now, I care about these jobs because I work with these people each and every day. And I understand how important it is to keep those jobs in America. These are also middle class jobs. I'll give you a great example. Today I'm going to basically help employ a team of 15 people. Why? Because of me doing what I'm doing right now. There are cameramen, makeup artists, there are editors, they're producers. All of these people have jobs right now because of the entertainment industry. Why on earth would I want to turn that over to a foreign country? Not only is it about that, but it's also about building the economies in different states. All right? These jobs are spread all over the country. I'm doing this right now for you. From Texas. You've got states like California and Georgia, New Mexico and New Jersey that are all growing in this area we know about. Movies are made in Georgia, for example. There's a lot of people that are listening right now. Where you live, there is a thriving industry. And if you think this is like theoretical, you're wrong. Netflix recently committed $1 billion to build a new production studio at the former Fort Monmouth army base in New Jersey. A project that is expected to create. You ready for this? More than 5,000 high paying American jobs. Now, that doesn't even count all the jobs that come because of what is produced there and all the support for when those jobs wrap up and the movies or the content is made available to all of us. You understand there's a snowball effect here. That investment turns a former military base into an engine of American production, innovation and employment. And it only happens when companies have the scale and the stability to invest long term, because this is big money we're talking about here. Streaming, however, is capital intensive as well. When companies are weakened or fragmented, that's when I get worried, right? Because production slow, opportunities shrink, that's when the layoffs happen. Scale brings stability. Stability protects and creates more American jobs. This is a no brainer for me. Now a combined Netflix and Warner Brothers discovery would create not only a stronger, but a more resilient American company. That's me and my ideals as an American first guy. And it would create an American company able to invest consistently in one thing that matters the most to me. US production instead of foreign production. That means more projects made here at home and more investments like the military base that we that was just bought. That is amazing for American job. It is. This is all about protecting what I say is so important to us. Our secret weapon, our influence around the world through tv, film and content is massive. All right. I look at my podcast and it's incredible how many people download it in foreign countries. It's unbelievable the reach that you can have when you create things here. This is the reason why I say it is a strategic national asset. Let me explain why. More American movies. I'm going back to my op ed. And television reach more people globally than any government program or diplomatic initiative. They literally shape how the world views the United States of America. And it serves a powerful counterweight to authoritarian propaganda and regimes around the world. Now, on the other side of this is China. We all know how much influence China wants to have on our lives. Go back to what just happened with TikTok, right? You're terrified of what could happen with TikTok because TikTok being owned by China and China hating America and trying to have influence can change the algorithms and put out propaganda to undermine America. We knew that. That's part of the reason why the forced sell to American assets was so vitally important for a national security standpoint. Now China understands this. It's why they tightly control media at home and they heavily invest in state backed platforms abroad. Because they want foreign influence. We've already seen how that censorship works. I'll give you a great example. Top Gun, Maverick. Love the movie. The film was a massive global success. Bring in billions of dollars made in America. And guess who refused to show it? China. China refused to allow it to be shown in its theaters. Why? Because of a small patch on Tom Cruise leather flight jacket depicting the flag of Taiwan. No violence, not offensive content, not a diatribe against China. It was a patch on a jacket that 99.9% of the audience would never have even noticed. That single symbol was enough for Beijing to block the film entirely. The message was unmistakable, by the way. Unmistakable by the way. Access to China's markets require you bowing down to them. Right? Political compliance and self censorship. Ronald Reagan understood the fight long before streaming even existed. He knew television and storytelling were powerful tools in the battle of ideas. Literally going after the in the Cold War, he understood that foreign or communist influence over American media posed a real threat. That's why he became so famous when he was fighting communism in California. As Reagan warned, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. Protecting American culture and the cultural leadership became a cornerstone of his presidency. And that lesson matters more now, I argue, than ever before. There are also serious concerns about foreign money entering the American media ecosystem and the national security risks that come with it. Some company proposals are involving legacy studios that would shrink the field from five to four major studios. And that's a problem, right? Concentrating more power and fewer hands and driving up costs for families who just want to watch a movie at home. That kind of consolidation reduces competition. It limits your choice and historically leads to layoffs, not innovation. Even more troubling, some of these proposals and these takeovers are requiring money to come from overseas. Reportedly backed by 24 billion, for example, from foreign governments. Did you hear what I said? Foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Now, I'm hardly a fan of excess regulation, but we have laws on the books for a reason. To protect the American marketplace and the American people from foreign manipulation. So let's be clear. 24 billion. 24 billion from the Middle east is not philanthropy. Foreign governments do not invest billions in American media for fun. They do it to gain leverage. Influence narratives shape what you see and hear. That's why I say this is a direct national security concern. So in today's world, influence is power. And when American content is weakened, something else fills the void and increasingly that content is shaped or approved by authoritarian governments. That's the reason why I'm saying right now, this Netflix Warner Brothers Discovery merger, it doesn't eliminate competition, it actually strengthens American company and allows for us to get foreign backed actors out of our studios. That's why I say that this merger is important. It's a vote for American workers, American creativity and American strength. And by the way, Ronald Reagan knew culture, influence was national security and power. That, my friends, hasn't changed. So I'd encourage you call your Senator, tell him what you think, tell him if you want to back as I do the Netflix Warner Brothers Discovery merger.

[A]

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