In an unusual late-night experimental live, I tackled the breaking news that Netflix has backed away from its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery following a White House meeting — clearing the path for Larry Ellison’s camp to expand its growing media footprint. With Paramount, TikTok, CBS, and potentially CNN now in MAGA-aligned hands, many in the pro-democracy space see this as an existential crisis.
I understand the alarm. Media consolidation in the hands of Trump-friendly billionaires is dangerous. But I’m not convinced it’s game over.
Here’s why: media companies are consumer-driven. If platforms become propaganda outlets, audiences leave. We saw it when Elon Musk bought Twitter and turned it into X — users fled. If CNN morphs into Fox 2.0, viewers will drift elsewhere. If Warner Bros. floods the market with ideological content, audiences won’t show up.
Meanwhile, independent media is rising. Substack creators, YouTubers, grassroots journalists — this ecosystem is expanding precisely because trust in legacy media is collapsing.
This moment isn’t just about media capture. It’s about media evolution. And if we build community, collaborate, and stay visible across platforms, we don’t just survive it — we outgrow it.
