On Monday, a consortium led by Paramount Global and Skydance Media made a new offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). They are ready to acquire WBD for $ 108.4 billion. The offer provides for $30 per common share and includes all assets of Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN, HBO, and other cable channels.
Paramount's statement emphasized that its offer is "a much more profitable alternative" to the previously announced deal with Netflix, as it offers shareholders a significantly higher price and increases the likelihood of regulatory approval.
Documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicate that one of the participants in financing the transaction is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
Last week, Netflix announced it would acquire Warner Bros.' film studio and streaming services for $72 billion. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, after the WBD Discovery Global unit is spun off as a separate public company.
President Donald Trump has commented on Netflix's proposal, saying it "could run into trouble" with regulators because of the potential for market dominance.
In an interview with CNBC on Monday, Paramount owner David Ellison outlined the benefits of their proposal for the media industry, stressing that selling Warner Bros. Discovery to Netflix could concentrate too much power in the hands of one company.
