Republicans attack ‘woke’ Netflix — and ignore YouTube

When Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos entered the Senate agency building connected Tuesday, he sewage thrown a curveball. What started arsenic a modular antitrust proceeding relating to the Warner Bros. merger quickly devolved into a performative Republican attack astir the dispersed of “woke” ideology connected the streaming service. At the aforesaid time, arguably a overmuch much influential level was wholly ignored: YouTube.

After grilling Sarandos astir residual payments, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) launched into a wholly different statement of questioning: “Why is it that truthful overmuch of Netflix contented for children promotes a transgender ideology?” Hawley asked, making an unsubstantiated declare that “almost half” of the platform’s children’s contented contains alleged “transgender ideology.” The connection harkened to a unit run launched by Elon Musk months agone successful which he called on X users to unsubscribe from Netflix for having a “transgender woke agenda,” citing its fewer shows pinch trans characters — shows that were canceled years ago.

“Our business intent is to entertain the world,” Sarandos replied. “It is not to person a governmental agenda.” Still, different Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO), piled on, bringing up a station Netflix made pursuing the execution of George Floyd, and the French movie Cuties, which sparked a right-wing firestorm years ago. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) moreover asked Sarandos what he thought about Billie Eilish’s “no 1 is forbidden connected stolen land” remark astatine the Grammys. It seemed for illustration they were grasping astatine straws to support their communicative that Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. could someway poison the good of contented for viewers.

“My interest is that you don’t stock my values aliases those of galore different American parents, and you want the United States authorities to let you to go 1 of the largest — if not the largest — streaming monopolist successful the world,” Hawley said. “I deliberation we ought to beryllium concerned astir what contented you’re promoting.”

While it’s existent that Netflix will power a important information of the streaming marketplace erstwhile — and aliases if — it acquires Warner Bros. and its streaming work HBO Max, it’s difficult to knock Netflix without bringing up YouTube.

For years now, Netflix has been trying to topple YouTube arsenic the most-watched streaming service. Data from Nielsen says Netflix made up 9 percent of full TV and streaming viewing successful the US successful December 2025, while Warner Bros. Discovery’s services made up 1.4 percent. Combining the 2 doesn’t moreover stack up to YouTube, which held a 12.7 percent stock of viewership during that time. “YouTube is not conscionable feline videos anymore,” Sarandos told the subcommittee. “YouTube is TV.”

Unlike Netflix, YouTube is free and has an ever-growing room of user-created contented that doesn’t require it to walk billions of dollars successful accumulation costs and licensing fees. YouTube doesn’t person to interest astir maintaining subscribers, arsenic anyone pinch entree to a web browser aliases telephone tin unfastened up and watch YouTube. The setup brings YouTube a changeless watercourse of viewers that it tin statement successful pinch a slew of contented it tin urge to watch next.

But not each creators connected YouTube are striving for quality. As my workfellow Mia Sato wrote, YouTube is location to creators who effort to provender an algorithm that boosts inflammatory contented and attempts to hook viewers, successful summation to an array of videos that whitethorn beryllium less than ideal for kids.

Like it aliases not, YouTube is the ascendant streamer, pinch an endless proviso of perchance violative agendas for conscionable astir anyone. But for immoderate reason, it’s not the target of this civilization war. If these lawmakers really cared astir what their kids are watching, possibly they’d commencement looking much intimately astatine really YouTube prioritizes content. Or, if they don’t for illustration the shows and movies connected Netflix, they could conscionable do what Sarandos suggested during the hearing: unsubscribe.