Apple Has Eyes For Netflix

Apple has been a shadow of the company it once was since Steve Jobs passed. Without a fearless man to take credit and attach his name to the innovation of others Apple is steering towards the direction of taking the easy way out. Shareholders shook in fear of a sinking ship when Apple announced the best feature on their new phone was the ability to send gender neutral emoji messages complete with moving mouths. Since the company is currently being sued for secretly slowing down older phones they need to make more revenue in the meantime to prepare for whatever ridiculous settlement amount is reached. Acquiring Netflix just may be the answer because if you can’t make it, you can always take it.

In this era of giant media corporations swallowing one another, another major acquisition might be on the horizon. Industry analysts are predicting that an influx of Apple cash might soon lead to a flashy purchase for the tech giant; with Netflix itself painted as a prime target.

Bear in mind that no official overtures have been made between Apple and Netflix, and media coverage of the prospect is often used to gauge interest in such landmark deals. Nonetheless – according to Business Insider – Citi analysts Jim Suva and Asiya Merchant have placed a 40% chance of Apple using a soon-to-be-unlocked infusion of $252 billion to purchase Netflix. The sum was previously under foreign jurisdiction, but the recently-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provides “a one-time allowance for companies to repatriate cash stored overseas without a major tax hit.”

The report also notes that while the Citi assessment was made before Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, an Apple-Disney merger was also previously seen as a possibility. Apple would only require a third of its $252 billion assets to buy Netflix, and has attempted for years to move into the original content space. 

The glory days of Apple are behind us and Apple owning Netflix isn’t anything to look forward to. If a company can force mandatory U2 albums upon the population there’s no telling what they’ll do with Netflix. The possibility of post weight loss Jonah Hill films being unremovable from a watch later list on Netflix is more than enough grounds for terminating the subscription. If you thought Dear White People was cringe-worthy just wait until Dear Cis People shows up on the New On Netflix section after Apple owns them.