Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Andy Chalk

Paramount, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, launches hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, one day after US president Donald Trump says the Netflix deal 'could be a problem'

The Paramount Global headquarters in New York, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Producer David Ellison's Skydance Media is set to become the new owner of Paramount Global after Seagram Co. heir Edgar Bronfman Jr. dropped out, ending one of the industry's most dramatic acquisition contests. Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

I said last week, after Netflix won the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery and its game studios, that the fight might not actually be over, and sure enough it is now on for real: Paramount Skydance, whose offer to acquire the company was rejected in favor of the Netflix bid, has launched a hostile takeover bid for WBD valued at more than $108 billion.

The deal between Netflix and Warner began to look shaky on Sunday when, as reported by AP, US president Donald Trump said it "could be a problem" because of the combined market share Netflix would be left with. Trump said the deal has to "go through a process and we’ll see what happens," presumably referring to required regulatory approvals, but added, "I'll be involved in that decision"—which is not how things are supposed to work, but here we are.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.