Paramount Skydance secures Warner Bros after Netflix exits

Paramount Skydance has emerged as the probable victor in a high-stakes contest to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, as streaming giant Netflix declined to increase its offer, effectively withdrawing from the pursuit and handing momentum to its rival. Paramount’s revised proposal of $31 per share in cash and commitment to cover substantial termination and regulatory fees was judged superior by the Warner Bros Discovery board, setting the stage for a deal valued at roughly $111 billion, though regulatory hurdles remain. This marks a dramatic shift in one of the entertainment industry’s most consequential bids of recent years.

The Warner Bros Discovery board’s decision to deem Paramount’s offer superior came after months of competition, originally featuring Netflix as the frontrunner with an $82.7 billion agreement to take over the studio, streaming services and other assets. Paramount kept countering with increasingly aggressive bids for the entire company, and the board’s latest evaluation endorsed the higher cash offer. Netflix co-chief executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters stated their company had been disciplined in its bidding strategy and that matching Paramount’s terms was no longer financially attractive, leading to its exit from the race.

Paramount’s campaign to win control of Warner Bros Discovery has been relentless. Following an initial setback when the board sided with Netflix’s bid last year, Paramount sued back into contention by launching a hostile offer for all outstanding shares and repeatedly sweetening its terms. The involvement of technology magnate Larry Ellison, who personally underpinned a significant portion of Paramount’s financing, added weight to the bid, providing equity guarantees beyond initial proposals. Paramount also agreed to pay Warner Bros Discovery a hefty $7 billion in the event regulatory approval cannot be secured, underscoring its commitment to closing the transaction and absorbing risk that Netflix was unwilling to shoulder.

The potential merger, if cleared by regulators, would unite two of Hollywood’s most storied studios and their associated streaming platforms — HBO Max and Paramount+ — alongside major news networks such as CNN and CBS. This consolidation has triggered intense scrutiny on antitrust grounds, with critics pointing to the potential for reduced competition, higher prices for consumers and diminished diversity in media ownership. Prominent U. S. lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, have voiced concerns that the deal could concentrate too much influence over what audiences watch, leading to less choice and increased barriers for independent creators. Paramount’s backers, many aligned politically with current administration figures, have insisted that the combined entity would better compete with dominant global players and offer efficiencies beneficial to shareholders and content investment.

Netflix’s stock responded positively to its strategic retreat, rising sharply as investors welcomed the company’s decision not to escalate its financial exposure in what it viewed as a prohibitively expensive deal. Warner Bros Discovery shares, by contrast, dipped as the likelihood of a protracted sale process diminished. Paramount’s shares remained relatively stable amid the market’s recalibration of expectations around media sector consolidation. The streaming pioneer, with a global subscriber base exceeding 325 million, said it will instead channel resources toward content creation and its existing business, reaffirming its identity as a builder of original programming rather than an acquirer of legacy studios.

Industry analysts have highlighted that this deal — while transformative — remains subject to substantial regulatory scrutiny both in the United States and abroad. U. S. state attorneys general, notably in California, have signalled intentions to closely examine the merger’s impact on competition. European and UK regulators are also expected to evaluate the transaction under their respective competition laws. Paramount has been proactive in engaging with regulators, aiming to reassure authorities that the combined operations will not stifle competitive dynamics in key markets. The company has cited potential benefits in content investment and the ability to “tell stories that move the world,” as articulated by Warner Bros Discovery’s chairman, Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr., following the board’s endorsement of Paramount’s offer.