Who will buy Paramount?

[Daikun]

We've all heard recently that WBD may be in talks to merge with Paramount (although negotiations are on shaky ground), and it seems other potential buyers are interested in acquiring the studio. However, the choices are decidedly not good.


Bobby Kotick is already in legal hot water for his terrible management of Activision, Skydance has the disgraced John Lasseter on their payroll, and RedBird... They haven't done anything horrible yet (at least to my knowledge), but it's a private equity firm, and acquisitions involving PEFs tend to go financially downhill. So yeah, none of these are good options.

Does anyone have any better options for Paramount's future?

 

[Spacething7474]

I will.


Just for the humor of it all I hope all 3 (all 4 if Warner changes their mind) buy it and badly attempt to share stake of it.

 

[Markus Nelis]

While it certainly isn't possible now due to money, I can see Paramount merging with WBD in the next 5 years. The world is so unpredictable right now so I wouldn't confidently say the merge is impossible. Unless someone else buys Paramount quicker which is also possible.

 

[Red Arrow]

I hope the rumors are correct and WBD won't buy Paramount

I don't feel sorry for Paramount. After decades of Dan Schneider's free rein on Nickelodeon, MTV's deplorable reality TV, Nickelodeon's awful treatment of cartoons and the fact that there are zero creator-driven cartoons left on the channel (as in: cartoons that the original creators are still working on + not based on a previous cartoon/comic). I can't help but feel that this is totally deserved.

Now that I am writing this out, I am realizing how relieved I am that WBD won't buy it.

 

[Ace]

I honestly wondering the same thing. Who could really afford it? Strange things have happened. Who would have expected Discovery of all things to gobble up Warner Bros whole? but that shows it's not going to be who you expect. Looks more likely it won't be another major entertainment giant if the economy in entertainment is pretty bad right now.

 

[harry580]

how about, no mergers for all of 2020s (expect for some tv studio & tv networks buyouts like sony did with bad wolf & Bryon Allen rumored buyout of bet & vh1)

if anything, I like to see microsoft buyout paramount

 

[LinusFan303]

The Warner thing was only just a "hey we're thinking about it" and never was anything else, it's just slow news time because it's the end of the year. It was never a firm thing.


I do hope CBS makes it through fine in any case.

It would honestly, just be better if things were sold in parts, and stop the tax loophole thing of selling things wholesale, that's been a problem and that loophole should not exist.

 

[harry580]

The Warner thing was only just a "hey we're thinking about it" and never was anything else, it's just slow news time because it's the end of the year. It was never a firm thing.


I do hope CBS makes it through fine in any case.

It would honestly, just be better if things were sold in parts, and stop the tax loophole thing of selling things wholesale, that's been a problem and that loophole should not exist.

like maybe pull a 2005 viacom cbs split?

 

[Moe]

I'm all for Skydance. No to WBD, Comcast and Disney at all.

how about, no mergers for all of 2020s (expect for some tv studio & tv networks buyouts like sony did with bad wolf & Bryon Allen rumored buyout of bet & vh1)

if anything, I like to see microsoft buyout paramount

If I was president, I would make you as federal regulator and you are free to block the mergers at your pleasure.

and even, you can demand Disney to re-open Blue Sky Studios or Disney face the breakup of companies like AT&T did in early 1980s.

Just sarcastic.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

I would go for either Microsoft, David Ellison, former Showtime CEO David Nevins, Berkshire Hathaway, or Bertelsmann.

 

[themidnightlore]

If someone has to buy Paramount, it better be someone without a big movie studio. So no Comcast or Sony (but if they divest things, I definitely would not say no to Sony getting Game One and J-One, teehee).
But in the ideal world, no one buys Paramount for a merger, it's just for let the Redstone family get it out of its hands, I guess.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

If someone has to buy Paramount, it better be someone without a big movie studio. So no Comcast or Sony (but if they divest things, I definitely would not say no to Sony getting Game One and J-One, teehee).
But in the ideal world, no one buys Paramount for a merger, it's just for let the Redstone family get it out of its hands, I guess.

I’m still worried Shari and Paramount will have no other choice and be forced to go with WBD, because of Zaslav’s boneheaded intentions, and because he’s a bad and power-hungry person.

I do think Sony or Comcast are good options, as long as those two divest their current entertainment assets, but they are already happy with what they have.

 

[Goldstar!]

Realistically, I don't think that Paramount will merge with Warner Discovery. Zazzy Dawg just wants to look like a high-roller. The FCC would likely block such a move unless both studios agree to sell off some of their intellectual properties, as that would be too many IPs under one umbrella. Monopolies are bad for business. Not to mention that a merger could put both companies even deeper in debt than they already are.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

Realistically, I don't think that Paramount will merge with Warner Discovery. Zazzy Dawg just wants to look like a high-roller. The FCC would likely block such a move unless both studios agree to sell off some of their intellectual properties, as that would be too many IPs under one umbrella. Monopolies are bad for business. Not to mention that a merger could put both companies even deeper in debt than they already are.

We definitely also don’t want to lose another major film studio of Golden Age Hollywood, like what happened to 20th Century Fox! (I hope that buyout by Disney gets undone in the future, since Disney+ is bleeding money, the bad 2023 box office Disney had, and the ongoing proxy fight by Nelson Peltz, who also wants a board seat with the help of Jay Rasulo.)

 

[the greenman]

Wb doesn't really have a linear network, but Paramount kinda does with CBS. That might complicate things.

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[JMTV]

Wb doesn't really have a linear network, but Paramount kinda does with CBS. That might complicate things.

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Well, they used to have it with The WB Network, but not anymore. Those days are long gone.

The closest we ever gonna get was The CW, but even then, Nextstar owns the majority of the network now (while WB and Paramount owns the minority ownership of it).

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I doubt Paramount will merge with WBD or get bought by Skydance Media at all but I wouldn't mind Apple buying a stake on the company, given their current production deal.

 

[the greenman]

The persistent rumor is Apple might snag Disney and AMAZON will get WB/D. Could they feasibly get both Paramount and WB/D? Don't know. I think if they pull the trigger to merge, it'll be a good while before we see movement on both ends.

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[Moe]

Y'all can hope a future court block WBD's acquisition of Paramount in case if WBD start to consider.

Judge blocks JetBlue-Spirit merger in a major win for Biden's Justice Department

JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of discounter Spirit would have produced the country’s fifth-largest airline.

www.nbcnews.com

It should be wakeup call for corporations who consider acquisitions.

 

[Silverstar]

Also Washington state is planning to block the proposed mega-merger between the Kroger and Albertson's grocery chains.

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/15/1224401179/kroger-albertsons-merger-grocery-lawsuit-washington

Overall, it seems like people are kinda tired of big conglomerate mergers. I would expect similar resistance if WBD and Paramount ever decide to get serious about joining forces.