U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman are demanding job and production guarantees from Netflix and Paramount as both companies chase Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal fight that could reshape the Los Angeles production pipeline. In a letter dated Feb. 5, the lawmakers asked the companies to spell out “concrete commitments” backed by measurable actions, arguing the stakes extend past corporate balance sheets to the workforce that keeps the industry running.
The letter cites deep labor erosion in the region: on-location production in greater Los Angeles fell 13.2% from July through September 2025 versus the same period a year earlier, and the county’s motion-picture workforce shed more than 42,000 jobs from 2022 to 2024. Schiff and Friedman also point to public cost-cutting targets, writing that projected savings—$6 billion in expenses for Paramount over three years and $2 billion to $3 billion for Netflix—raise fears that the fastest path to “synergies” runs through payroll.
They pressed Ted Sarandos, Greg Peters, and David Ellison for written answers by Feb. 15, including how each bidder would keep Hollywood central to production and investment, protect “good-paying” union jobs, and use AI without displacing workers. They also asked how each company would support a federal film tax incentive now being drafted in Congress, and what safeguards they can offer to slow offshore production.
The pressure campaign lands while the bidders sell competing narratives to regulators and Wall Street. Netflix has promoted domestic spending and a planned New Jersey studio build, while Paramount’s team has argued its bid would be “pro-competitive.” At the same time, analysts and labor groups have warned that any megamerger invites consolidation math and tougher bargaining for crews. TheWrap reported the lawmakers want commitments that are enforceable, not slogan-level reassurance.
