Towards another megamerger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount?


Anthony Roche

December 21, 2023 at 2:01 p.m.

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Warner Bros.  Discovery © JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

Warner Bros. Discovery © JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

Towards an ever more giant giant? The bosses of the Warner Bros. groups. Discovery and Paramount Global have come together for, perhaps, another historic merger between major entertainment groups.

In 2022, a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery created Warner Bros. Discovery. Today, it seems that the large group still has an appetite. According to the media Axios, the head of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, would have met this Tuesday with Bob Bakish, boss of Paramount Global. He also reportedly spoke with Shari Redstone, head of Paramount Global’s parent company, National Amusements Inc.. It is not yet clear whether Warner Bros. Discovery plans to swallow Paramount Global or National Amusements Inc. directly, but both options would be on the table.

Who can stop Warner Bros. Discovery?

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) declined to comment on a potential deal, which is still far from concrete. These first discussions can completely stop there. Especially since the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery is still far from being repaid, while the Max platform is still not fully launched internationally. France will be affected in a few months, moreover.

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What future for Paramount+? ©Paramount+

However, things are not going well at Paramount Global, which could find a good way out with this takeover. The latter is today valued at around $10 billion, while Warner Bros. Discovery is capitalized at $29 billion. Especially since other firms like Skydance Media and RedBird Capital Partners seem interested in Paramount Global.

What potential result?

If such a marriage were to take place, several developments could result. First, a merger between streaming services Max and Paramount+ could give Netflix and Disney+ a real competitor. This could be good news for users, who would have to juggle fewer platforms, but rather bad news for employees who are probably considered redundant. Finally, a potential merger of CNN and CBS branches would also be a significant change in the information and sports landscape.

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  • Integrated into Canal+ via certain offers
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By beefing up its technical side and offering a few more new or old series exclusively, Paramount+ could quite easily find its place alongside other streaming services. But for the moment, unless you already benefit from it via a Canal+ subscription or absolutely want to watch a particular series, it’s difficult to justify a new subscription.

By beefing up its technical side and offering a few more new or old series exclusively, Paramount+ could quite easily find its place alongside other streaming services. But for the moment, unless you already benefit from it via a Canal+ subscription or absolutely want to watch a particular series, it’s difficult to justify a new subscription.

Source : The Verge



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