• ringwraithfish@startrek.website
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      11 months ago

      Read up on Reagan and anti-trust. He essentially said that monopolies that resulted in lower prices were good for consumers and that the government would turn a blind eye to them. Hasn’t been much change since then.

      • kingthrillgore
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        11 months ago

        monopolies that resulted in lower prices

        IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT DAYO~

        When you own the market, you either:

        • Dictate the price as the sole provider
        • Are forced to set the price because of your natural monopoly status (as a utility for example; until you stuff the utilities commission or regulatory capture your way into even controlling that)
        • Have to break up to create competition, release patents, or otherwise be forced to allow competition which leads to a lower cost alternative

        I hate the gipper. Fucking cunt, and he can’t fucking act either.

        • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          He knew. All capitalists know. They don’t care, because the goal of capitalism is to profit — therefore profit is the one and only true guiding virtue.

    • kibiz0r@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Hey man, I can do some competition any time I want. Just lemme do a little more central planning first.

  • kingthrillgore
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    11 months ago

    Disclaimer: I own Paramount stock, and worked at Paramount for a time.

    Disclaimer 2: It is sadly non-voting common stock because fuck this fucking timeline.

    I can think of nothing worse for the common good than having YET ANOTHER ENTERTAINMENT MERGER. I AM IN CONTINUOUS ANGUISH. STOP IT.

    • merc@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      Their defense will be that they need to merge to be able to compete against Disney. The sad thing is they’re probably right. Even post merger their market cap will be less than 1/4 of Disney’s market cap.

      Really, we need to destroy Disney.

    • TheFriar@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      I HATE CORPORATIONS CAPITALISM I HATE CORPORATIONS CAPITALISM I HATE CORPORATIONS CAPITALISM

      ftfy

        • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          But it’s specifically capitalism. A corporation doesn’t have to use capitalist principles to operate. It just has to be incorporated under local law. Worker coops are still corporations.

          The problem IS capitalism, not corporations. (though allowing giant monopoly ones I’m sure is its own ill even outside of capitalism)

          • wewbull@iusearchlinux.fyi
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            11 months ago

            The problem is shareholders; The fact that extracting money out of the company is prioritised over the stability of the company. This leads to unstable companies which are vulnerable to shit like this.

            WB would not be verging on the edge of bankruptcy if it was privately held.

            • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              Extracting money out is the epitome of capitalism. The entire point.

              The problem is capitalism.

  • Laughbone@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Introducing Paramount Max Plus, now for the low low price of 49.95 per month for the first 6 months!

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
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      11 months ago

      In the article you linked with “force”

      "I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,” he said. Then he suggested a model: “Fox News, in my opinion, has followed an interesting trajectory of trying to have ‘news’ news, I mean some actual journalism, embedded in a program schedule of all opinions.

      It’s too fucking early for me to be so enraged. I’m torn between throwing up, punching something, or throwing up on something I’m punching…

    • katy ✨@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      11 months ago

      bill and ted voice MAXIMUM PARAMOUNT PLUSSSSS

      or

      rush hour renegades voice MAXIMUM PARAMOUNT PLUS COMIN’ ATCHA

  • katy ✨@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    11 months ago

    i get max for free because they said im billed through youtube yet im not actually billed so if this means i also get star trek free ill take it

    but seriously fuck zaslav and mergers

  • FrankTheHealer@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    When I saw this in the news, I thought they had already merged for some reason. Either way, fuck this. FTC should block this if they had any balls

    • merc@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      They do have balls for the first time in a while, but it’s not just on them. The FTC sued to block the Microsoft and ActiBlizz merger, but the judge sided with MicrosoftActiBlizz.

  • ALostInquirer@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    hear me out, what if they all merged back into the public and somethingsomething fully automated luxury gay space utopia?

    • Fungah@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Like , fully gay? Or is it more like 50, 75%? I don’t know this for a fact but I’m thinking I could probably have / see a fair amount of dude on dude stuff if I got to see / have regular girl on girl on girl and dude stuff.

      • ALostInquirer@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        tbh i think pan may be more fun for everyone but the ol’ meme is gay so went with gay and i imagine this is the widely inclusive gay for all that fun stuff

  • Figureinplastic@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Maybe they can all merge so that we can get down TO ONE OR TWO FUCKING DECENT STREAMING SERVICES INSTEAD OF THE MILLION SHITTY ONES THAT EXIST NOW

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      11 months ago

      Better to have a million shitty ones with no exclusivity than to have one with everything

        • Baguette
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          11 months ago

          One monopoly on streaming means they’d probably jack the prices up a lot since they would be the only legal way to watch things (and theyd probably crack down on piracy even more)

          Multiple streaming services at least helps keep prices at a reasonable level

          Hard agree though that exclusives are the worst thing streaming services adopted

        • orangeboats@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          One with everything will be far more expensive than millions with one thing, and if you disagree with the service you wouldn’t be able to switch to another one.