It feels like the last few years have been defined by consolidation in Hollywood, with Disney swallowing Fox, Amazon taking MGM, and Skydance merging with Paramount. But it's not finished yet. According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, the "For Sale" sign is officially up at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), and they're hearing bids. As of this week, three massive buyers—Paramount (Skydance), Netflix, and Comcast—are in the mix to own the studio and its massive IP library or titles. Here’s the breakdown of who wants what, and why you should care.Let's dive in. The SuitorsDavid Zaslav and the WBD board are currently staring at three very different futures for the studio. Despite Zaslav’s aggressive cost-cutting (RIP Coyote vs. Acme), WBD’s stock has struggled. Wall Street loves growth, and WBD is weighed down by declining cable TV revenue. The board has been floating the idea of splitting the company in two (Studios vs. Networks) by 2026 anyway. These bids just speed up the timeline.The reports are that they want to be paid $30 a share for the sale, but they may settle somewhere in the $27 range. In case you don't want to do the math, that's somewhere near $60 billion to own WBD. So who has that kind of cash? Paramount (Skydance) Credit: Paramount SkydanceFresh off their own merger drama, the new Paramount (led by David Ellison) is reportedly swinging for the fences. They are the only ones interested in buying the whole company—that includes the Warner Bros....
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday