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Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

cnbc.com

151–160 of 424 posts

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#151

I just realized that the netflix ceo is a big-time democratic party donor, and that paramount is supposedly being supported by larry ellison (big-time republican/trump donor) and saudis? I'm sensing a strong political/influence angle here by the billionaires.

The President's son-in-law is involved in the hostile bid through his private equity firm Affinity Partners. https://www.axios.com/2025/12/08/jared-kushner-paramount-war...

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#152
post #146

I just realized that the netflix ceo is a big-time democratic party donor, and that paramount is supposedly being supported by larry ellison (big-time republican/trump donor) and saudis? I'm sensing a strong political/influence angle here by the billionaires.

That is exactly what is going on. Everyone at WB management knows that the Ellisons want to weaponize CNN before the midterms runoffs start in spring.

Netflix isn't buying CNN though, Paramount can just pick up Discovery on the cheap when its split off. There's no reason for them to even be trying to do a hostile bid either. I think this is just purely an ego/power trip thing.

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article bullet point referencing WB Discovery could mislead some into thinking that this takeover is only for the Discovery portion, but that's not the case. $30 would not be for Discovery only (as Netflix's bid is $27.75), it's for the whole kit and caboodle. Yes there are two entities, but/and Paramount wants it all, and the takeover intent is for both.

I've heard that what Kushner wants is CNN. If they could make CBS+CNN lean conservative like Fox, they pull off a potential to swing the country via news media.

That's a shitty gamble when online media is where it is at now a days. These big media networks are dinosaurs hanging on by a thread.

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#154

I just realized that the netflix ceo is a big-time democratic party donor, and that paramount is supposedly being supported by larry ellison (big-time republican/trump donor) and saudis? I'm sensing a strong political/influence angle here by the billionaires.

>supposedly

My man, you don't have to mince words here. This hostile bid is backed by Jared Kushner, who is the President's son in law. One Rich Asshole owns Paramount, and is most certainly supporting the bid here.

This deal would also leave CNN in a very vulnerable position (they are owned by WB), which is exactly what Trump wants.

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#155

Paramount bids $30 all cash for all of Warner Brothers Discovery. Netflix bids $27.75 “for Warner’s studio and HBO Max streaming business” only [1]. (“$23.25 in cash and $4.50 in shares” [2].) The latter leaves behind “sports and news television brands around the world including CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., and Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the profitable Discovery+ s…

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Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#156

Does WB have to pay the breakup fee to Netflix if a Paramount hostile takeover succeeds?

Isn't this submission about Warner Bros Discover, which is a different entity? Seems to be about TV, not movies. But maybe I misunderstand, I did spend a whole of 20 seconds to skim the article...

It’s all one entity with subsidiaries for tv and movies, etc.

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#157

Does WB have to pay the breakup fee to Netflix if a Paramount hostile takeover succeeds?

This has nothing to do with the Netflix bid. Warner bros is being divided into the cable TV stations + discover channel stations and the movie studio and the backlog is separate. Netflix wants the movie studio + tv back catalog

That’s not correct. Paramount wants everything (including the parts Netflix wants). Netflix wants just tv and movie studio. So the paramount hostile bid would be for the part Netflix wants and the part they don’t.

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard that what Kushner wants is CNN. If they could make CBS+CNN lean conservative like Fox, they pull off a potential to swing the country via news media.

That's a shitty gamble when online media is where it is at now a days. These big media networks are dinosaurs hanging on by a thread.

It might be. But if you're doing a short-term political power play (rather than a business investment), it could be a good tactical spend. And it might be a smart business investment if the political power play works in such way that you can politically bend the business environment in your favor.

Re: Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

#160
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because WB owns what is left of Newline, that would include LotR and The Hobbit.

"What's left"? New Line has been part of Warner since they merged with TBS in the mid 90s.

No, Newline was its own division of WB, but during the financial bubble bursting, and shortly after Golden Compass lost $100M they gutted it and drastically reduced their scope of operations. It's still technically its own division but now it's more of a sock puppet.

The Hobbit for instance is a WB production, not Newline.

Apparently sometime shortly before they got the axe they paid Susanna Clarke a 7 figure sum to option Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I don't know a whole lot about options but 7 figures sounds like about 8-16x what people usually do especially for a 3 year old book by an unknown author. IIRC, that's more than Andy Weir got for The Martian. And more than Lev Grossman is worth today, and he got five seasons out of three books.

That option expired unused and BBC One and Cuba Pictures made it into a very good miniseries. Does feel a bit like a pattern of financial exuberence.

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