Tell the FTC to Block the Amazon-MGM Deal!

The Federal Trade Commission

Right now, the Federal Trade Commission is considering whether to block Amazon’s proposed $8.45 billion acquisition of MGM Studios. If approved, this deal would bolster Amazon’s unfettered dominance across an ever-growing swath of the U.S. economy and give the company leverage to transform the streaming video industry as we know it.

Let’s be clear: Amazon’s unchecked expansion is a costly threat to workers, businesses and consumers.

The company has a long history of leveraging its dominance to gain a foothold in new markets by using practices we believe are unfair and anticompetitive. This merger would allow Amazon to use the same playbook against the streaming video industry, inevitably impacting producers and consumers of video content and squeezing diversity as it gains market share.

That’s why we are encouraging a newly vigilant FTC to use its power for the good of American workers and consumers by blocking the Amazon-MGM deal.

Please join us in asking the FTC to draw a line in the sand on Amazon’s monopolistic aspirations and block the MGM deal.

Sponsored by

To: The Federal Trade Commission
From: [Your Name]

Dear FTC Commissioners Khan, Phillips, Slaughter and Wilson:

We call on you to block Amazon’s proposed merger with MGM.
Amazon will use the same playbook to solidify its growing dominance in streaming video as it has in other markets, leveraging its huge online platform to expand its market power.

The company is already using its Fire TV Stick and Amazon Web Services products to restrict access for filmmakers and impede its streaming video competitors. We expect Amazon to utilize MGM’s vast library of films and television programming in similar ways.

The merger will reduce consumer choice, further harm competition in the ever more important streaming video market, and squeeze BIPOC production opportunities and diverse voices in film.

Unlike mergers in the past, the Commission is now well-aware of the long term impacts of allowing platform companies like Amazon to grow unchecked. We urge strong action to block this merger now!