Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount in merger talks (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

This is a surprise.

Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global in Merger Talks

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global have held talks about a potential merger of the two media companies, Variety has confirmed.

variety.com

 

[Joe Wong]

What next - Sony/Universal?

I'm guessing the Disney/Fox merger was a harbinger. I like more competition amongst the studios, but with streaming being a challenge these days, mergers may not be unreasonable.

 

[jcroy]

The question is whether the anti-trust division of the american federal Department of Justice, will sign off on such a merger.

I suppose with the Fox Disney merger a number of years ago, might suggests such a merger of Warner and Paramount might be given the green light. Though the former happened under a different previous regime.

 

[Sam Favate]

Ugh. Would Zaslav be in charge?

 

[Garysb]

Both companies already have a lot of debt. There would probably be asset sales from a merged company like CBS and maybe the cable channels like CNN, TCM, TBS, TNT, BET, Comedy Central. MTV etc. Perhaps they would be spun off or sold as a new CBS Inc.

Get ready for the Paramount Max Plus streaming service.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This is a surprise.

Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global in Merger Talks

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global have held talks about a potential merger of the two media companies, Variety has confirmed.

variety.com

Warner Bros. Discovery being the suitor is a surprise, but Paramount's investors have been advocating hard for a sale or merger for months now. Paramount's just too small to compete in the current environment.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

The one, actually two questions I have is that if this indeed does happen, if Paramount will still have its own identity - like 20th Century Pictures still has under Disney - under Warner Bros. Discovery. My personal opinion is that it will be the case if the merger does indeed go through but given how unpredictable things have been the last few years, it's hard to say. The other question is concerning the vast catalog that both studios will amass in this merger and how it will affect home media releases, but once again, that's still out in the ether.

As the old saying goes, this news of the potential merger answers one question about the future of both of these historic movie studios, but it raises son many others.

 

[mskaye]

Both companies already have a lot of debt. There would probably be asset sales from a merged company like CBS and maybe the cable channels like CNN, TCM, TBS, TNT, BET, Comedy Central. MTV etc. Perhaps they would be spun off or sold as a new CBS Inc.

Get ready for the Paramount Max Plus streaming service.

CBS or TBS that is the question.

 

[Chip_HT]

Well, that's one way to get Paramount to join Movies Anywhere...

 

[mskaye]

Well, that's one way to get Paramount to join Movies Anywhere...

If this goes through and they combine operations can you imagine the requests George Feltenstein will now get to release obscure Paramount silents and classics from the early 50's? "Where's Tropic Zone? I'm a big Rhonda Fleming fan!" Oy.

 

[John*Wells]

I don’t like this idea

 

[Garysb]

Per the article what is driving this possible merger is Sherri Redstone's desire to sell her shares of National Amusements, the parent of Paramount Global. The potential buyer, Skydance Media, would then break Paramount Global up separating the legacy TV from the movie studio. I guess this would be similar to breaking it back up into CBS and Viacom again however exactly who gets what would probably be different.

 

[Garysb]

What next - Sony/Universal?

Columbia Pictures(SONY) and Universal(Comcast) are both part of larger organizations and not as completely dependent on TV and movies as Paramount and Warner Discovery are. Therefore perhaps they have less of a need join up together. The same might have been said when AT&T owned Warner Bros but the problem there was the people in charge lacked experience in the entertainment business.

 

[NICKP91]

Paramount is doing good with Star Trek at the moment and Zaslav will definitely mess things up

 

[Jake Lipson]

Paramount is doing good with Star Trek at the moment

On TV, yes. But the theatrical side can't seem to get anything going with that franchise.

 

[Sam Favate]

Paramount is doing good with Star Trek at the moment and Zaslav will definitely mess things up

Star Trek never should have been divided between TV and film. Any merger should put them back together, the way Lucasfilm handles Star Wars TV and movies.

 

[TravisR]

Ugh. Would Zaslav be in charge?

"For the fiftieth anniversary of The Godfather Part II, we proudly announce that this historic film will be removed from all streaming services and never sold again so we can have a sweet tax break."

 

[Sam Favate]

Besides the fact that I think he’s an inept administrator, Zaslav is poison to the creative community, having killed the Batgirl project and selling off the Coyote movie. So, top directors, actors and writers aren’t going to want to work for Warner while he’s in charge. If Warner merges with Paramount and he’s in charge, they won’t want to work there either.

 

[darkrock17]

Sony/Columbia and Universal right now

Soon only one studio will be running all of Hollywood

 

[mskaye]

Well, that's one way to get Paramount to join Movies Anywhere...

Per the article what is driving this possible merger is Sherri Redstone's desire to sell her shares of National Amusements, the parent of Paramount Global. The potential buyer, Skydance Media, would then break Paramount Global up separating the legacy TV from the movie studio. I guess this would be similar to breaking it back up into CBS and Viacom again however exactly who gets what would probably be different.