Netflix may have paid $600 million for Ben Affleck’s AI startup

Last week, Netflix announced the acquisition of InterPositive, an AI company co-founded by Ben Affleck that helps filmmakers edit footage in post-production.

This deal could be worth up to $600 million, according to Bloombergpotentially ranking it among the streaming giant’s largest acquisitions ever. The most Netflix has ever paid for a single acquisition was approximately $700 million for the Roald Dahl Story Company.

While Netflix has not publicly confirmed the details, sources tell Bloomberg that the actual cash payment may be lower, with the owners of InterPositive eligible for additional payouts tied to specific performance targets.

InterPositive makes tools that help filmmakers work more efficiently in post production — addressing continuity issues or enhancing scenes, for example — but it doesn’t generate new content or use footage without permission.

This acquisition fits Netflix’s broader push to integrate AI into content production. The company has already used generative AI in its original shows and movies, including to create a building-collapse scene in the Argentine series “The Eternaut.”

Rivals are moving in the same direction. Amazon is building in-house AI teams for film and TV projects, while Disney has struck a deal with OpenAI.

Not everyone is on board. Workers across the film industry have raised concerns about potential job losses and whether AI companies are compensating creators fairly for training data.