A mega-merger is brewing in Hollywood, which could be the largest in the media industry in the last decade. Paramount Skydance, owned by David Ellison, is considered the main contender to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery – a giant that includes HBO, Warner Bros. film studio, and a streaming service with over 120 million subscribers. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
According to Reuters, Warner Bros. Discovery rejected Ellison's $60 billion offer, but after that officially began looking for a buyer. Among other potential players mentioned are Comcast, Netflix, and Apple, but analysts call Paramount the favorite.
It appears that Paramount is in a pivotal position
According to Bank of America estimates, the likely value of the deal could reach $74 billion ($30 per share). The amount could deter some competitors, but for Ellison, whose father – Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle and the second richest person in the world with a capital of $330 billion, financial capabilities are not a limitation.
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Other market players are significantly more restrained. Apple, which has $36.3 billion in cash, traditionally avoids large mergers – its largest deal to date remains the acquisition of Beats for $3 billion. Netflix and Comcast also do not have free resources for such large-scale acquisitions.
The studio would make sense for Netflix and Apple. The TV networks would make sense for a Comcast spin-off, and the studio for what's left of NBCU
At the same time, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos emphasized that the company does not plan to acquire traditional TV networks:
"We've been very clear that we're not interested in owning legacy media networks, so there's no change there."
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For Apple, the acquisition of Warner Bros. could be a strategic move to expand the Apple TV+ library, which would gain iconic HBO series and classic Warner studio films.
Meanwhile, Comcast is increasingly focusing on theme parks and streaming, gradually reducing its cable business. A merger with Warner Bros. could give Universal access to franchises like DC Comics and Harry Potter, turning the company into an even more powerful player in the entertainment world.
If the deal with Paramount goes through, it will not only be the largest merger in the industry since the epochal merger of Disney and Fox, but also a symbol of a new era – when technological dynasties finally solidify their positions in global show business.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced it is up for sale – Media21.10.25, 18:53