US EditionConventional Wisdom: Warner Bros. Bidding War Edition
Netflix's $72 billion offer for Warner Bros. Discovery sparks a high-stakes bidding war with Paramount backed by major sovereign wealth funds and political ties.
- Sunday, streaming pioneer Netflix agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming arm for USD $72 billion, triggering a bidding war with an Ellison-backed rival.
- The Ellisons had spent months telegraphing a MAGA-centered bid to smooth regulatory paths as Warner Bros. Discovery's debt ballooned and stock cratered, leaving it vulnerable to takeover bids.
- In November, Sarandos visited the Oval Office, while David Ellison was spotted in the Kennedy Center Honors before unveiling his bid backed by Jared Kushner's private equity firm and Gulf sovereign funds; activists warned of a 'constitutional crisis' and Netflix faces a $5.8 billion breakup fee.
- Both bidders paid respects to President Donald Trump beforehand, while his Monday attack on CBS News highlighted political risks and Trump said he'll `be involved`, mixing politics with the deal.
- Hollywood royalty looks diminished as centibillionaires and sovereign wealth funds steer the industry's fate, turning the contest into a political bargaining chip in a ten-figure merger.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Fund manager Mario Gabelli said it’s “very likely” that he will offer Warner’s shares of his clients to Paramount in an effort to start a bidding war for the film and television company. In an interview, Gabelli said that Paramount will finally have to increase its $30 bid per share by Warner Bros, and that Netflix will also counterattack with a larger offer. “We’re in the first rounds,” Gabelli said. “The fifth round of a nine-round challenge.”…
How will the Warner Bros. bidding war affect the entertainment industry?
Bugs Bunny could soon have a new boss: Netflix has announced an agreement to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service and studios, potentially creating a new streaming powerhouse and drastically changing the entertainment landscape. But while Netflix and Warner Bros. are moving forward with their deal, another player, Paramount Skydance, has also announced a hostile bid for the company. All the while, President Donald Trump is weighin…
3 things markets are saying about the red-hot bidding war over Warner Bros. Discovery
Mario Tama/Getty ImagesA bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery has kicked off, and the market may hold clues about the outcome. Investors are flashing signs they still think Netflix could be the ultimate winner. Betting markets don't see Paramount's competing offer as a slam dunk. A bidding war has broken out over one of America's most iconic media companies, and investors in the three firms involved are mixed on the prospect of where it'll all…
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