Netflix Acquires Ben Affleck's AI Startup for $587 Million

Netflix has acquired Ben Affleck's AI filmmaking startup InterPositive for $587 million, according to a securities filing Source: latimes; techcrunch. The streaming giant announced the deal in March but only disclosed the price in a recent SEC filing. InterPositive, founded in 2022, develops AI tools for filmmakers, focusing on post-production challenges like missing shots and background replacements Source: latimes.

The Acquisition

Netflix paid $587 million in cash, bringing on InterPositive's entire team and making Affleck a senior advisor Source: techcrunch. The deal was first reported in March with no financial terms; Bloomberg later estimated it could be worth up to $600 million Source: techcrunch.

Impact on Productions

During Netflix's earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said roughly 300 productions currently use AI, mostly in post-production Source: latimes. He cited the docuseries "The American Experiment" as an example, where 17 minutes of AI-enhanced footage were produced "twice as fast and at half the cost" Source: latimes. Netflix's investment comes amid investor concerns about growth, with its stock falling 2% to $67.60 after the earnings report Source: latimes.

Affleck's Vision

Affleck said he wanted to "keep storytelling human" and partnered with engineers to build a proprietary dataset that "preserves cinematic rules" while keeping creative decisions in artists' hands . However, much of Hollywood remains critical of AI; the Screen Actors Guild has expressed skepticism .