WBD Acquisition Thread

[FirePuppy]

It wouldn't help with your situation.

Hasbro could be still under DFC ownership and Paramount don't have authority to force Hasbro to sell, and there is other scenario, Paramount could sell DFC to Hasbro, so Hasbro do nothing with linear (network decay).

You have to wait for Hasbro to sell on own, so WBD and Paramount won't change the situation.

That's the problem! Hasbro doesn't want to sell its 40% stake on DFC, which they had the option to do so twice -- in 2022 and 2025, but both times, Hasbro refused to do it. And now, they're just focusing on video games and digital entertainment, and not even paying any attention to its older shows on cable.

 

[Action!]

Paramount Sweetens Warner Bros. Discovery Bid, Offers to Pay $2.8 Billion Netflix Termination Fee

The company is adding a 25 cent per share ticking fee, but still isn't raising the value of its $30 per share offer

www.thewrap.com

Ellison, that's not sweetening.

Give it up Elisson.

 

[TheGreatToon]

I'm not fully sure how Cartoon Network will be after the split happens, However I can honestly see it mostly being filled with cheap Canadian/European shows, and possibly still having some of the more popular WB shows like TTG and possibly Gumball (as it is quite likely Discovery Global would pay Warner/Netflix to be able to keep airing those shows due to their popularity).

 

[harry580]

well, I just learned: netflix almost bought the cw in 2022, so if netflix had bought the cw, then buying Warner bros would been a reunion

 

[Moe]

I'm not fully sure how Cartoon Network will be after the split happens, However I can honestly see it mostly being filled with cheap Canadian/European shows, and possibly still having some of the more popular WB shows like TTG and possibly Gumball (as it is quite likely Discovery Global would pay Warner/Netflix to be able to keep airing those shows due to their popularity).

That’s one of concern for sure.

I do believe that CN and all other Turner linears would have special syndication deal with WB to have access to WB libraries.

Weigel, owner of MeTV is doing perfectly fine without studio and their libraries, so they just acquire the shows to air on linear.

One of member in here reported that CN saw better rating with rerun shows.

That's the problem! Hasbro doesn't want to sell its 40% stake on DFC, which they had the option to do so twice -- in 2022 and 2025, but both times, Hasbro refused to do it. And now, they're just focusing on video games and digital entertainment, and not even paying any attention to its older shows on cable.

Yeah, Hasbro sit on linear network asset and didn't anything to add or improve the channel.

I'm trying to understand about why Hasbro is doing like that? Some people think that has with tax purpose as Hasbro wait to devalue the linear network.

 

[Checkerboard]

I'm not fully sure how Cartoon Network will be after the split happens, However I can honestly see it mostly being filled with cheap Canadian/European shows, and possibly still having some of the more popular WB shows like TTG and possibly Gumball (as it is quite likely Discovery Global would pay Warner/Netflix to be able to keep airing those shows due to their popularity).

Teletoon America

 

[lowell]

Yeah, Hasbro sit on linear network asset and didn't anything to add or improve the channel.

I'm trying to understand about why Hasbro is doing like that? Some people think that has with tax purpose as Hasbro wait to devalue the linear network.

Outside of Hasbro's Discovery Family stake, it's easier for Zaslav to trade in WarnerDiscovery's 12.5% stake along with some cash in exchange for Nexstar's 31% stake in Food Network at this point.

On the other hand, the saga continues as Ancora Holdings now threatening Zaslav with their own proxy fight (curious to see if anyone at Ancora are connected to the Ellisons or Redbird here):

"Activist investor Ancora Holdings has built a roughly $200 million stake in Warner Bros. Discovery and is planning to oppose Warner’s deal to sell its movie and television studios and HBO Max streaming service to Netflix, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ancora, which could announce its position as soon as Wednesday, believes that Warner failed to adequately engage with David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance after it made a rival all-cash offer for the entire business, including its cable-network group, at $30 a share, the people said.

The arrival of an activist, even with a small stake in the company, will add yet another dose of uncertainty and drama to an already drawn-out fight for the Hollywood studio. Netflix has signed a $72 billion deal, but Paramount, which is bidding nearly $78 billion for the whole company, has gone straight to shareholders and threatened to wage a board fight at the same time.

Ancora, a roughly $11 billion fund that has a history of lobbying in the middle of deals, emailed Warner Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav on Tuesday to say that it is considering launching its own proxy fight if Warner’s board doesn’t negotiate the best deal for shareholders with Paramount, the people added.

Warner has a market value of roughly $69 billion as of Tuesday, making Ancora’s stake in the company less than 1%. But Ancora plans to continue buying Warner shares, the people familiar with the matter added, and, even with a small stake, it adds a voice that could help rally other investors around opposing the Netflix transaction.

Paramount on Tuesday enhanced its hostile offer, including agreeing to pay the $2.8 billion termination fee Warner would owe Netflix should that deal collapse. Paramount also said it was adding a “ticking fee” of 25 cents a share, which it would pay to Warner shareholders for each quarter its deal hasn’t closed, starting in January 2027.

If Ancora were to proceed with nominating director candidates, it would focus on replacing individuals with ties to Zaslav, the people familiar with the matter said. Ancora has privately questioned the Warner CEO about whether he favored the Netflix deal to obtain an executive role with the streaming company after the transaction closes, they added.

Ancora has antitrust concerns about the Netflix deal it calls “uncertain and inferior.” And it questions the Discovery Global spinoff, which would put $17 billion in Warner debt on the company’s cable-TV networks, which have a declining number of viewers, according to a presentation from the activist seen by The Wall Street Journal.

In that presentation, Ancora defends Paramount’s viability as a buyer, pointing to the record of Ellison and his father, the billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. It also said it expects Paramount to receive swift antitrust approval.

Many investors and analysts still largely expect Paramount could increase its $30-a-share offer. Analysts at Raymond James said in a recent note to clients that “many WBD shareholders still expect PSKY has not made its best and final offer, and will raise its bid by ~$2-3 per share.”

Cleveland-based Ancora has a history of pushing for deals, both publicly and behind the scenes. In 2024, it built a huge stake in Norfolk Southern and later won seats on the railroad operator’s board before the company agreed to be acquired by Union Pacific for almost $72 billion. It also recently privately pushed bubble-wrap maker Sealed Air to sell itself, before the business agreed to be bought by CD&R."

https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/activist-investor-pushes-warner-to-walk-away-from-netflix-deal-0bbe663e

If the Redstones ultimately refused to sell Paramount Global to him, we certainly would've seen Ellison launch these shenanigans at them, which are now aimed at WarnerDiscovery.

 

[Insidus]

Outside of Hasbro's Discovery Family stake, it's easier for Zaslav to trade in WarnerDiscovery's 12.5% stake along with some cash in exchange for Nexstar's 31% stake in Food Network at this point.

On the other hand, the saga continues as Ancora Holdings now threatening Zaslav with their own proxy fight (curious to see if anyone at Ancora are connected to the Ellisons or Redbird here):

"Activist investor Ancora Holdings has built a roughly $200 million stake in Warner Bros. Discovery and is planning to oppose Warner’s deal to sell its movie and television studios and HBO Max streaming service to Netflix, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ancora, which could announce its position as soon as Wednesday, believes that Warner failed to adequately engage with David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance after it made a rival all-cash offer for the entire business, including its cable-network group, at $30 a share, the people said.

The arrival of an activist, even with a small stake in the company, will add yet another dose of uncertainty and drama to an already drawn-out fight for the Hollywood studio. Netflix has signed a $72 billion deal, but Paramount, which is bidding nearly $78 billion for the whole company, has gone straight to shareholders and threatened to wage a board fight at the same time.

Ancora, a roughly $11 billion fund that has a history of lobbying in the middle of deals, emailed Warner Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav on Tuesday to say that it is considering launching its own proxy fight if Warner’s board doesn’t negotiate the best deal for shareholders with Paramount, the people added.

Warner has a market value of roughly $69 billion as of Tuesday, making Ancora’s stake in the company less than 1%. But Ancora plans to continue buying Warner shares, the people familiar with the matter added, and, even with a small stake, it adds a voice that could help rally other investors around opposing the Netflix transaction.

Paramount on Tuesday enhanced its hostile offer, including agreeing to pay the $2.8 billion termination fee Warner would owe Netflix should that deal collapse. Paramount also said it was adding a “ticking fee” of 25 cents a share, which it would pay to Warner shareholders for each quarter its deal hasn’t closed, starting in January 2027.

If Ancora were to proceed with nominating director candidates, it would focus on replacing individuals with ties to Zaslav, the people familiar with the matter said. Ancora has privately questioned the Warner CEO about whether he favored the Netflix deal to obtain an executive role with the streaming company after the transaction closes, they added.

Ancora has antitrust concerns about the Netflix deal it calls “uncertain and inferior.” And it questions the Discovery Global spinoff, which would put $17 billion in Warner debt on the company’s cable-TV networks, which have a declining number of viewers, according to a presentation from the activist seen by The Wall Street Journal.

In that presentation, Ancora defends Paramount’s viability as a buyer, pointing to the record of Ellison and his father, the billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. It also said it expects Paramount to receive swift antitrust approval.

Many investors and analysts still largely expect Paramount could increase its $30-a-share offer. Analysts at Raymond James said in a recent note to clients that “many WBD shareholders still expect PSKY has not made its best and final offer, and will raise its bid by ~$2-3 per share.”

Cleveland-based Ancora has a history of pushing for deals, both publicly and behind the scenes. In 2024, it built a huge stake in Norfolk Southern and later won seats on the railroad operator’s board before the company agreed to be acquired by Union Pacific for almost $72 billion. It also recently privately pushed bubble-wrap maker Sealed Air to sell itself, before the business agreed to be bought by CD&R."

https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/activist-investor-pushes-warner-to-walk-away-from-netflix-deal-0bbe663e

If the Redstones ultimately refused to sell Paramount Global to him, we certainly would've seen him launch these shenanigans at them, which are now aimed at WarnerDiscovery.

I think Netflix makes a fair point that such a merger would lead to lots of synergies I mean there's benefits with Netflix from a consumer perspective. WBD has been taking a lot longer to rollout animated content on Cartoon Network but with a Netflix tie-up this all stops and CN catalogue could expand as wide as DreamWorks Animation.

I don't think that will be the case for Paramount considering how much debt they'd be in from the buyout but then again there's companies that have gotten out of large debts.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

You know, I actually do want Paramount to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, now that I think about it. I'm getting tired of Hasbro staying on Discovery Family any longer (and besides, the channel's schedule is completely screwed up), and if Paramount gets WBD, there's a very good chance it could force Hasbro to move from DFC to someplace else.

Why are you suggesting this? Paramount Skydance already lost their chance to buy all of WBD. At this point, they’d be able to buy the Discovery Global half and not the Studio/Streaming part, which is headed for Netflix.

 

[Moe]

Warner has a market value of roughly $69 billion as of Tuesday, making Ancora’s stake in the company less than 1%. But Ancora plans to continue buying Warner shares, the people familiar with the matter added, and, even with a small stake, it adds a voice that could help rally other investors around opposing the Netflix transaction.

WBD is very massive corporation and Ancora wouldn't have enough power to reject the deal, so they may change few percent of vote and not enough to reject.

That's kinda like toy dog barking at massive boss.

We have to wait for shareholder vote on Netflix deal to get a better picture, so we will know after that and Netflix has plenty of cash to upped the offer in case if there is problem with shareholder vote.

WBD don't want to be owned by smaller studio, Paramount and after I saw a true color of Ellison, I can't support him at all. I regretted for supported him at first place in fight between Ellison and Apollo/Sony.

 

[harry580]

WBD is very massive corporation and Ancora wouldn't have enough power to reject the deal, so they may change few percent of vote and not enough to reject.

That's kinda like toy dog barking at massive boss.

We have to wait for shareholder vote on Netflix deal to get a better picture, so we will know after that and Netflix has plenty of cash to upped the offer in case if there is problem with shareholder vote.

WBD don't want to be owned by smaller studio, Paramount and after I saw a true color of Ellison, I can't support him at all. I regretted for supported him at first place in fight between Ellison and Apollo/Sony.

well, it be better if paramount stayed with bob bakish and spin off the tv networks

I mean, we don't need another sony/bmg styled disaster if we talking about Apollo/sony

 

[Moe]

well, it be better if paramount stayed with bob bakish and spin off the tv networks

but Shari Redstone dumped Bob Bakish.

I mean, we don't need another sony/bmg styled disaster if we talking about Apollo/sony

I don't understand about Sony/BMG disaster? Please could you explain about it.

It help me to understand better if explain with details.

 

[harry580]

but Shari Redstone dumped Bob Bakish.

well, redstones no longer involved with paramount so bob bakish can get it back

I don't understand about Sony/BMG disaster? Please could you explain about it.

It help me to understand better if explain with details.

well, it involved this:
Sony BMG (2004–2008) is widely considered a operational failure due to the disastrous 2005 "
rootkit" scandal, where copy-protection software installed on millions of CDs created severe security risks for customers. While the merger aimed to dominate the music industry, it resulted in massive lawsuits, a, costly recall, and lasting reputational damage

 

[Moe]

well, redstones no longer involved with paramount so bob bakish can get it back

It would be impossible to get Paramount back from Ellison because Bob Bakish didn't own the company and it needs to be bigger enough to do hostile takeover to grab Paramount back from Ellison.

well, it involved this:
Sony BMG (2004–2008) is widely considered a operational failure due to the disastrous 2005 "
rootkit" scandal, where copy-protection software installed on millions of CDs created severe security risks for customers. While the merger aimed to dominate the music industry, it resulted in massive lawsuits, a, costly recall, and lasting reputational damage

I see, interesting.

Also, Sony created SecuROM too, so it was worst DRM in 2000s.

 

[JulianRO]

Warner Bros. Discovery faces activist investor who backs Paramount Skydance’s rival bid over Netflix deal

The Cleveland-based firm, which manages roughly $11 billion in assets, has built a stake valued at about $200 million.

nypost.com

Too small to pose a shift in other shareholders's minds?

 

[Moe]

Warner Bros. Discovery faces activist investor who backs Paramount Skydance’s rival bid over Netflix deal

The Cleveland-based firm, which manages roughly $11 billion in assets, has built a stake valued at about $200 million.

nypost.com

Too small to pose a shift in other shareholders's minds?

Yeah, less than 1% is very tiny.

Large investment groups can easily buy more WBD share to keep Ancora smaller and smaller, basically drown them out.

Traditional investors despise activist investors a lot.

 

[RandomMe]

Teletoon America

Ah, if only Nelvana didn't temporarily suspend its new productions, it would be easy to fill the schedules.

 

[JulianRO]

Warner Bros. Activist Investor Says Paramount Bid Is 'Once in a Lifetime' Opportunity

Ancora Alternatives president James Chadwick says the firm plans to grow its $200 million stake and is interviewing director candidates as it mulls a proxy fight over the $83 billion Netflix deal

www.thewrap.com

Opportunity? I wouldn't really say so.

 

[Insidus]

Yeah, less than 1% is very tiny.

Large investment groups can easily buy more WBD share to keep Ancora smaller and smaller, basically drown them out.

Traditional investors despise activist investors a lot.

This company has been involved in similar scenarios in the past and let me say they do have a fighting chance I'd give between a 40%-60% chance of succeeding. Paramount's strategy could work but they would need to improve those conditions perhaps through a little money on the side on a monthly basis.

 

[Moe]

This company has been involved in similar scenarios in the past and let me say they do have a fighting chance I'd give between a 40%-60% chance of succeeding. Paramount's strategy could work but they would need to improve those conditions perhaps through a little money on the side on a monthly basis.

because their size were significant with other companies but that is not case with WBD that where large investment groups have a lot of influence.

Who cares about activist investors since they are looking for trouble.

Netflix is prepared to upped the offer if it is necessary.

Like I said, y'all have to wait until shareholder vote on Netflix to get a better picture of WBD shareholders.