Iman Eslami

@berkeleylaw | Antitrust & Intellectual Property | Arsenal

[Ryan Grim @ryangrim]

Okay yes he was indeed popping champagne in celebration of the death penalty law. Absolute death cult.

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Chicago not being a World Cup host city is a massive failure. Summertime Chi needed to be shown to the world.

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Death of the movie industry if allowed to go through.

[Alvaro Bedoya @BedoyaUSA]

The Netflix-Warner deal is a horror movie. And not like OG Scream or Sinners. This is like the Human Centipede part 23. On a long haul flight. In the middle seat.

1. The price of getting Netflix with no ads was $7.99 a decade ago. Now it is $17.99 (inflation would make it $10.92). This is not the behavior of a company that is scrambling to compete for your business. Because it's *the* juggernaut in streaming -- it has over 300 million subscribers, more than two times the subscribers as HBO Max and Disney+, which both have around 125M.

2. What is keeping the price of Netflix from getting even higher? You guessed it, HBO Max and Disney+. I don't know if they're stealing existing folks from Netflix, but when people have 17 bucks to spend on a subscription, their two clearest choices are Netflix.. and HBO Max. In other words, their clearest competitor is a Warner property... And don't take it from me, take it from the former CEO of Warner Media, Jason Kilar (below): “If I was tasked with doing so, I could not think of a more effective way to reduce competition in Hollywood than selling WBD to Netflix." So get ready for subscription prices to go up.

3. This also going to hurt your local movie theater, if you still have one. That's because Netflix does this thing where it will lock down an amazing movie, screen it in a few theaters to qualify for the Oscars and other awards, but release it simultaneously (or a few weeks after) on streaming. They did this with Roma. And no, even if you're *Scorsese* (the Irishman) or *Guillermo del Toro* (Frankenstein) even you will only get three to four weeks on the big screen before your knees are kicked out from under you. Who does this help? Netflix. Who does this hurt? The local movie theater where you had your first date, where you watched Jurassic Park (sorry, I'm old), where you take the kids over Christmas. And guess who specializes in making movies for the big screen? Yep, Warner Brothers: Dune, Barbie, the Minecraft Movie (iykyk), Superman. As @matthewstoller explained, "a theater needs a certain number of new releases to be profitable, and are very close to that line right now."

4. And it's not just going to screw over your local movie theater. This thing is going to hurt all of the independent writers, directors, and producers that make the most interesting stuff. Hollywood works at its best when there is a whole ecosystem of independent folks making new shows and movies and pitching them to the big guys for distribution. The film festival circuit? That's *why you go on that circuit* -- to get your cool new, out-there movie in front of execs who can buy it and distribute it. I was in Los Angeles a month ago, and that whole system is just long gone. Why? A huge part of the reason is Netflix. They cut sweetheart deals with huge names (Adam Sandler), and consistently spend their money on that and their own in-house folks. 'No one is buying' at the festivals; 'now they make you do all this stuff for free before you can even pitch them on something'. This is the kind of thing people are saying.

5. What's to be done here? Normally, the Department of Justice would intervene and block the merger. But I'm not staying up for that. I think this is the time for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to step in and move first. He's strong, the folks who work in these industries are *his* constituents -- and if you think this would be a nice thing for a bunch of wealthy people, go see how much the production crews and makeup artists and background actors earn in Hollywood. This is the time for him to define his legacy as someone who stands up for consumers.

[Alvaro Bedoya @BedoyaUSA]

The Netflix-Warner deal is a horror movie. And not like OG Scream or Sinners. This is like the Human Centipede part 23. On a long haul flight. In the middle seat.

1. The price of getting Netflix with no ads was $7.99 a decade ago. Now it is $17.99 (inflation would make it $10.92). This is not the behavior of a company that is scrambling to compete for your business. Because it's *the* juggernaut in streaming -- it has over 300 million subscribers, more than two times the subscribers as HBO Max and Disney+, which both have around 125M.

2. What is keeping the price of Netflix from getting even higher? You guessed it, HBO Max and Disney+. I don't know if they're stealing existing folks from Netflix, but when people have 17 bucks to spend on a subscription, their two clearest choices are Netflix.. and HBO Max. In other words, their clearest competitor is a Warner property... And don't take it from me, take it from the former CEO of Warner Media, Jason Kilar (below): “If I was tasked with doing so, I could not think of a more effective way to reduce competition in Hollywood than selling WBD to Netflix." So get ready for subscription prices to go up.

3. This also going to hurt your local movie theater, if you still have one. That's because Netflix does this thing where it will lock down an amazing movie, screen it in a few theaters to qualify for the Oscars and other awards, but release it simultaneously (or a few weeks after) on streaming. They did this with Roma. And no, even if you're *Scorsese* (the Irishman) or *Guillermo del Toro* (Frankenstein) even you will only get three to four weeks on the big screen before your knees are kicked out from under you. Who does this help? Netflix. Who does this hurt? The local movie theater where you had your first date, where you watched Jurassic Park (sorry, I'm old), where you take the kids over Christmas. And guess who specializes in making movies for the big screen? Yep, Warner Brothers: Dune, Barbie, the Minecraft Movie (iykyk), Superman. As @matthewstoller explained, "a theater needs a certain number of new releases to be profitable, and are very close to that line right now."

4. And it's not just going to screw over your local movie theater. This thing is going to hurt all of the independent writers, directors, and producers that make the most interesting stuff. Hollywood works at its best when there is a whole ecosystem of independent folks making new shows and movies and pitching them to the big guys for distribution. The film festival circuit? That's *why you go on that circuit* -- to get your cool new, out-there movie in front of execs who can buy it and distribute it. I was in Los Angeles a month ago, and that whole system is just long gone. Why? A huge part of the reason is Netflix. They cut sweetheart deals with huge names (Adam Sandler), and consistently spend their money on that and their own in-house folks. 'No one is buying' at the festivals; 'now they make you do all this stuff for free before you can even pitch them on something'. This is the kind of thing people are saying.

5. What's to be done here? Normally, the Department of Justice would intervene and block the merger. But I'm not staying up for that. I think this is the time for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to step in and move first. He's strong, the folks who work in these industries are *his* constituents -- and if you think this would be a nice thing for a bunch of wealthy people, go see how much the production crews and makeup artists and background actors earn in Hollywood. This is the time for him to define his legacy as someone who stands up for consumers.

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Huge win

[Lina Khan @linamkhan]

The junk fees rule we finalized @FTC last year goes into effect today.

That means businesses selling live-event tickets or short-term lodging can no longer surprise you with mystery charges that inflate your bill when you check out.

https://t.co/8XV0kJbGZt

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

nothing enhances your focus as much as a pair of expensive headphones

[Nicholas Wu @nicholaswu12]

Bernie Sanders in statement issued as Harris is about to give her concession speech:
"It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them."

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Academia cannot begin until daylight savings ends

[Aleph @woke8yearold]

Still the best take anyone has ever had about Columbus Day

[Dave @davebftv]

Caleb Williams with Derrick Rose and his family

[RedditCFB @RedditCFB]

Absolutely rigged.

Shameless. Disgusting. Cal has been completely and utterly screwed on what should have been one of the best days in program history.

The ACC officiating center will quietly sweep this under the rug, until Miami needs help again next week. 🤡

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Gameday at Cal is electric

[Tom Fornelli @TomFornelli]

This is the greatest play in NFL history.

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

@lwaysFunny It’s done

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

When it’s Fall and the coffee shops start Queening out

[Olivia Kuncio @Olivia_Kuncio]

in some ways New York is now the Chicago of America

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Why do we need to add music to every instagram post? Are you a millennial?

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Resigned to spending the rest of my life as a Cal fan

[Cal Football @CalFootball]

It just means more.

#GoBears | #ALLIN

[Iman Eslami @iman_eslami]

Babe I’m scared, the RBF brunettes are here