Paramount Global and WB Discovery in merger talks

[Henadic Theologian]

https://www.axios.com/2023/12/20/warner-bros-paramount-merger-discovery-streaming

This could save both companies, it'd make them big enough to go toe to toe with Netflix and Disney and Amazon.

Combined IPs

Top Gun
Mission Impossible
Friends
2 and a Half Men
Big Bang Theory
2 Broke Girls
DC Comics and DC studios
Harry Potter
Star Trek
DADHAT
Transformer movies
GI Joe movies
D&D live action series
Grease
The Godfather
Yellowstoneverse
Dexter
Breaking Bad
Sex and the City
Practical Magic (I think, better witch craft movie the Hocus Pocus).
Looney Tunes
South Park
Fraiser
Cheers
Popular Mechanics for Kids
And an absolute ton more.

Now that combined could make for a high value streamer that could go toe to toe with any big streamer.

I don't think it would be a buyout of one for the other, I think it'll just be a straight up merger like how Six Flags and Cedar Falls just merged without either buying the other out (so no extra debt), but I could be wrong.

https://www.axios.com/2023/12/20/warner-bros-paramount-merger-discovery-streaming

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't think Paramount seems like a big deal to anyone except Star Trek fans.

Netflix is the only streamer consistently making money. They will eat these guys' lunch, separately or together.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I don't think Paramount seems like a big deal to anyone except Star Trek fans.

Netflix is the only streamer consistently making money. They will eat these guys' lunch, separately or together.

Hulu made money too, and Pluto TV might have been making money too, it's costs were much lower then Paramount plus, but I'm not sure.

If you combine Paramount+ with MAX'S subscriber base, you might start getting into Disney+ territory at least.

They don't have to beat Netflix, they just have to cut costs and expand enough to hit the tipping point of profitability and together that is much more likely.

Paramount has ton of value beyond Star Trek, from sitcoms, to animation, to classic movies like Godfather, to hits like Top Gun movies, NCIS/CSI/Jagverse, to Yellowstoneverse, to the upcoming D&D show (and DADHAT), Transformer and GI Joe movies, Nicolodean channel shows, South Park (this would unify South Parks rights).

This would also bring Pluto TV, CBS, and other assets and extremely valuable studio space to the table.

WB also has lot to offer (sadly including a ton of Zaslov's Discover channel garbage).

Paramount also brings Halo to the table.

 

[trappedslider]

Warner Bros. and Paramount might merge. What's it going to cost you to keep streaming?

The merger would combine two of the media industry’s biggest players. It would also set off a wave of consolidation among streaming services.

finance.yahoo.com

Paramount+ would likely shut down and merge into Max.

Right now there are no formal talks between the companies and Pivotal Research analyst Jeff Wlodarczak says he’s skeptical a merger will happen. A more likely tie-up would be Comcast’s NBCUniversal, he said.

“Feels like perhaps Warner Bros. Discovery is just looking at all potential opportunities as it reaches its two-year anniversary of the deal close with Warner when they are free to do whatever deal they want including potentially selling the company,” he said.

@Whizbang Dustyboots Paramount also has NCIS which includes the recent NCIS Sydney, but around here yeah Star trek is the only thing that matters and Halo.

 

[payn]

Paramount also brings Halo to the table.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hulu made money too

Hulu effectively doesn't exist any more.

Pluto TV might have been making money too

Several orders of magnitude difference than what we're talking about.

If you combine Paramount+ with MAX'S subscriber base, you might start getting into Disney+ territory at least.

Which is also losing money.

They don't have to beat Netflix, they just have to cut costs and expand enough to hit the tipping point of profitability

Oh, man, have you got some WotC news to catch up on.

classic movies like Godfather

Are you suggesting that they make more Godfather movies or a TV show?

Because there's only so many times people can watch the Godfather movies and I suspect the overwhelming majority of Godfather superfans are now on Medicare.

NCIS/CSI/Jagverse, to Yellowstoneverse, to the upcoming D&D show (and DADHAT), Transformer and GI Joe movies, Nicolodean channel shows, South Park (this would unify South Parks rights).

These are nice enough TV shows, but they do not a streaming powerhouse make.

And given that WB is drowning in debt, hence all of Zaslav's frantic behavior, I think it's more likely the two of them get swallowed by someone bigger in a year or three.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Side note if you broke TNG down into 10 episode seasons like Star Trek Picard got, TNG would have 17.8 seasons compared to Picard's 3 seasons.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Hulu effectively doesn't exist any more.

Several orders of magnitude difference than what we're talking about.

Which is also losing money.

Oh, man, have you got some WotC news to catch up on.

Are you suggesting that they make more Godfather movies or a TV show?

Because there's only so many times people can watch the Godfather movies and I suspect the overwhelming majority of Godfather superfans are now on Medicare.

These are nice enough TV shows, but they do not a streaming powerhouse make.

And given that WB is drowning in debt, hence all of Zaslav's frantic behavior, I think it's more likely the two of them get swallowed by someone bigger in a year or three.

Hulu still exists for now and is profitable, but it won't have a long future.

They do plan on doing a Godfather TV show.

All the those shows and movies and channels combined with WBs shows and channels does in fact create streaming power house.

It's alot more quality programing then Netflix has.

 

[trappedslider]

This streaming service was the best in 2023. Find out what it is and why it dominated

The streaming world saw a paradigm shift in 2023, and this streamer came out on top as the best streaming service of the year. Find out what it is and why.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Paul Farquhar]

And given that WB is drowning in debt, hence all of Zaslav's frantic behavior, I think it's more likely the two of them get swallowed by someone bigger in a year or three.

Who? Disney have plenty of problems of their own, and Netflix and Amazon have plenty of content and the power to cherry-pick only the shows and IPs they want. Apple perhaps?