The entertainment landscape would again undergo a massive change if a possible merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global comes to fruition.
Axios reporter Sarah Fischer shared on Wednesday that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Paramount Global Bob Bakish met in New York City on Tuesday to discuss the potential for a merger.
“The duo discussed ways their companies could compliment one another. For example, each company’s main streaming service — Paramount+ and Max — could merge to better rival Netflix and Disney+,” Fischer reported.
The move would see two of the biggest film and television studios combine, as well as two major news branches (CNN and CBS News) and sports entertainment brands (Turner Sports and CBS Sports), if it were to actually go through, which is not a certainty in these early stages.
It would be the biggest move of its kind since Disney officially merged with Fox back in 2019.
Fischer adds that antitrust laws might not hold a Warner Bros. Discovery/Paramount deal back because of WBD’s lack of a broadcast network.
“Executives are confident that the deal would receive regulatory approval, despite D.C.’s active antitrust climate,” Fischer wrote. “Notably, Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t own a broadcast network, which would clear an easier path than would a combination with a company like NBC owner Comcast.”
However, Puck shared recently that other entities like Skydance Media and RedBird Capital Partners have been reported as looking at buying a majority stake in Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements Inc.
A possible merger could involve Warner Bros. Discovery merging with just Paramount Global or NAI on a whole, per Axios.
For media fans, the news of another major corporate merger between two legacy media companies drew plenty of surprise and some reservation.
A deal would potentially leave WBD/Paramount, Disney, and Comcast/NBCUniversal as the only three "legacy" media companies in film and television. https://t.co/rkDdoyiMRd
— Andy Weir (@AndyWeirNBC) December 20, 2023
CAN WE NOT HAVE ANOTHER MERGER PLEASE AND THANK YOU https://t.co/yQP1fNSMHW
— TheNintenGuru / TNG (@TheNintenGuru) December 20, 2023
Oh boy… https://t.co/POhaYNmwJX
— James (@bob_bobbson) December 20, 2023
Max Paramount Plus With Showtime (feat. HBO) https://t.co/iTat787y1G
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) December 20, 2023
There it is. https://t.co/T4lpfTcqYn
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 20, 2023
Zaslav is gonna buy Paramount and then take tax write-off for not releasing any movies https://t.co/v0ha1uvyAq
— Matt Zoller Seitz (@mattzollerseitz) December 20, 2023
Zaslav looking at all the new projects/IP he can disappear forever https://t.co/o80h3huPY3 pic.twitter.com/l3zaz6FuAN
— Jordan Maison (@JordanMaison) December 20, 2023
i’m sad about the direction the world is heading for a lot of more pressing and visceral reasons than this but it is also really sad to watch all of the studios cannibalize themselves until one day there will only be one big studio with zero motivation to make much of anything.. https://t.co/clIsmsemhm
— Rebecca Alter (@ralter) December 20, 2023
I feel like I'm having late 1990's flashbacks!!
"CBS News could be combined with CNN to create a global news powerhouse." #MediaRevenue https://t.co/KSmqzsXdTl— David Clinch (@DavidClinchNews) December 20, 2023
Long time coming, now coming faster than anticipated … https://t.co/n4eynxQJgq
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) December 20, 2023
Yes. David Zaslav is definitely the person we should entrust with more of Hollywood. https://t.co/r4XTqyL7f4
— @benjaminjs.bsky.social (@BenjaminJS) December 20, 2023
we're like a year away from it being not just impossible but federally illegal to watch any movie or tv show more than six weeks old https://t.co/kqiuKry9ep
— Grace Freud (@GraceGFreud) December 20, 2023
This is like when you stick all those last slivers of soap together to try and form a bar https://t.co/nZVGR7p3bH
— Rob Yeo (@robjyeo) December 20, 2023
