New York, Feb 6, 2026, 11:02 EST — Regular session
Netflix shares nudged up on Friday, as investors absorbed new political developments tied to the company’s Warner Bros. deal efforts. The stock rose roughly 0.6% to $81.32, following Thursday’s close at $80.87.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will not intervene in the dispute between Netflix and Paramount Skydance involving Warner Bros. Discovery, backtracking on remarks from late last year that implied he might get involved. “The Justice Department will handle it,” Trump told NBC News, Reuters reports. 1
Europe threw another challenge into the mix. Germany announced it will force streaming platforms to plow at least 8% of their annual revenue earned in the country back into local content production. Platforms investing 12% or more could dodge some rules. Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer described it as “a real investment stimulus.” Reuters reported the cabinet is set to approve the plan before early April, though details on penalties remain unclear. 2
Netflix fell behind despite a modest rise on Friday. Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF climbed roughly 1.2%, and the Invesco QQQ Trust gained near 1.0% during morning trading.
Regulators are still center stage for the market. The government’s antitrust review checks if a merger might cut competition enough to harm consumers, whether by raising prices or limiting options.
Deal-linked stocks traded in a narrow band. Warner Bros. Discovery gained roughly 0.8%, Paramount Skydance dipped slightly, and Walt Disney climbed around 2.0%.
Politics and regulation can swing either way. Should the Justice Department contest the deal or impose conditions that shift its financial dynamics, the stock might take another hit—despite initially positive headlines.
Netflix continues to grapple with familiar content and country-risk issues. In Indonesia, police questioned comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono following accusations that his Netflix special contained insulting and blasphemous material. Pragiwaksono denied any wrongdoing and stated he would cooperate with the legal process, Reuters reported. 3
Next up: process markers, not a new show launch. Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to hold a shareholder vote on the Netflix deal in March, once its preliminary proxy statement—the document used to gather shareholder votes—is finalized, Reuters reported, citing CNBC. Paramount Skydance has pushed back its tender offer deadline, the direct buyback from investors, to Feb. 20. 4
