The news just hit that Netflix has stepped away from the deal with Warner Bros. Discovery after a new offer from Paramount sweetened the deal. I was one of the people who said the Netflix and WBD deal was the best case scenario and the Paramount deal was the worst case, and now that's actually happened. I have zero trust in Paramount that they can actually utilize WBD correctly, and this will also mean substantial layoffs most likely as well.

That's just me though, but what do you think?

Quite a surprising move. Makes me think Netflix's ultimate plan was simply to get its competitors to outspend them by a ghastly amount for what, by all accounts, is a "money pit." If that is the case, even without getting WB, Netflix still comes out ahead.

I am worried about what WBD will become with Paramount pulling the strings. If this were in the early days of Paramount+ when they were initially investing in great content, I would definitely be more excited.

In a couple of years, we'll get the Superman Paramount Cut, where Supes defends Boravia from the vicious terrorists trying to steal their land, with the funding of true patriot and self-made man Lex Luthor.

Netflix has MANY issues, but meddling with creative endeavors due to political alignment is not one of them.

3 hours ago, Marco Vito Oddo said:

In a couple of years, we'll get the Superman Paramount Cut, where Supes defends Boravia from the vicious terrorists trying to steal their land, with the funding of true patriot and self-made man Lex Luthor.

Netflix has MANY issues, but meddling with creative endeavors due to political alignment is not one of them.

Yep!! Any concerns over the Netflix takeover pale in significance to this and Paramount owning CNN to go with CBS

I just don't understand why WB needed to be sold off in the first place. Why can't it just stay its own thing?

49 minutes ago, ChrisA90 said:

I just don't understand why WB needed to be sold off in the first place. Why can't it just stay its own thing?

As I understand it (which could very well be wrong), the original, unsolicited Paramount bid essentially forced their hand - meant they then had to act in the best interests of the shareholders, which was basically to put up the for sale sign and get the best offer possible. Of course, quite likely it would've reached this point eventually anyway since it long seems like it might've been the intent of the WBD merger (this article has some good background info on that stuff, WB's debt, etc https://prospect.org/2025/12/10/why-is-warner-bros-for-sale-at-all/)

TLDR: Rich people want more money, capitalism gonna capitalism

No one buys Warner Bros. and still owns it for long. In the past thirty years they've had four corporate owners pass them around. History will repeat itself, but only after things get very, very bad

Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network being owned by the same company is something my 10 year old self would never believe.

Movie theaters are saved

5 hours ago, saperry said:

No one buys Warner Bros. and still owns it for long. In the past thirty years they've had four corporate owners pass them around. History will repeat itself, but only after things get very, very bad

It's the old 80's corporate raider playbook. Buy it, keep the most lucrative assets and sell off or close the rest. WB, a 100 year old studio is no more.