NEWS WIRE – Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O), opens new tab on Monday launched a hostile bid worth $108.4 billion for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), opens new tab, in a last-ditch effort to outbid Netflix and create a media powerhouse that would challenge the dominance of the streaming giant. Netflix had emerged victorious on Friday from a weeks-long bidding war with Paramount and Comcast, securing a $72 billion equity deal for Warner Bros Discovery’s TV, film studios and streaming assets. But Paramount’s latest attempt means the jockeying for Warner Bros and its prized HBO and DC Comics assets will not come to a conclusion swiftly. Paramount’s $30-per-share cash offer includes financing from Affinity Partners, the investment firm run by Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and several Middle Eastern government-run investment funds, and is backstopped by the Ellison family. Larry Ellison, the world’s second-richest person, is the father of Paramount head David Ellison and has close ties to the White House. The studio argues its bid for the entirety of Warner Bros Discovery is superior to Netflix, giving shareholders $18 billion more in cash and an easier path to regulatory approval. It also argued that a Paramount-Warner Bros combination, which would be among the largest media deals in history, would be in the best interest of the creative community, movie theaters and consumers, who would benefit from enhanced competition. “We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood,” Paramount CEO David Ellison said in a statement. Paramount’s bid includes Warner Bros Discovery’s cable television properties; Netflix’s bid is limited to the Warner Bros film and television studios, HBO and the HBO Max streaming service. Analysts noted that Paramount’s offer comes with its own antitrust scrutiny as a consolidation of two major television operators. Last month, Democratic senators warned that such a transaction would result in “one company controlling almost everything Americans watch on TV.” The combined studio would also have a greater market share than current leader Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), opens new tab, and add to fears of consolidation that have hit the industry hard in recent years. The offer represents a 139% premium over the company’s undisturbed stock price, and bests Netflix’s $27.75 offer that mixes cash and stock. Warner Bros Discovery and Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Paramount’s deal. In a regulatory filing, Paramount said that the Ellison family, which owns Paramount, along with private equity firm RedBird Capital, had agreed to backstop $40.7 billion in equity capital. The offer also includes financing from Kushner’s Affinity Partners, the Saudi and Qatari sovereign wealth funds, and L’imad Holding Co, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. Netflix’s offer comes with a $5.8 billion break-up fee and was likely to face strong antitrust scrutiny; U.S. President Donald Trump raised questions about the offer over the weekend.
The bid has already drawn sharp criticism from bipartisan lawmakers and Hollywood unions over concerns that it could lead to job cuts as well as higher prices for consumers.
