December 5Dec 5 Quote Netflix has agreed to buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery for $72bn in a major Hollywood deal. The streaming giant emerged as the successful bidder for Warner Bros ahead of rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance after a drawn-out battle. Warner Bros owns franchises including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, and the streaming service HBO Max. The takeover is set to create a new giant in the entertainment industry, but the deal will still have to be approved by competition authorities. Guess its better than David Ellison buying them https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce91x2jm5pjo
December 5Dec 5 13 minutes ago, Michael Knight said: Guess its better than David Ellison buying them https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce91x2jm5pjo Certainly better if you enjoy not having movies in theaters and paying Netflix $80 a month.
December 5Dec 5 Netflix is going to put every other steaming service, except maybe Disney, out of business. Edited December 5Dec 5 by TonyTexas
December 5Dec 5 Somebody posted this earlier on an animation forum: Bye DC Universe Bye Adult Swim Bye Warner Bros Bye Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe Bye Cartoon Network Bye Looney Tunes Bye Warner Bros. Animation ---- If Netflix were smart, they would completely open up those vaults and put everything out there on Netflix and keep all of those groups listed above. There is so much good content contained within Warner Brothers and HBO and I never ever understood why that stuff was not available. I get that some of it was licensed out here and there to other services or channels/studiots, but there is some really good stuff in there that a lot of people would love to have, that's not available online.
December 5Dec 5 47 minutes ago, Reynolds Woodcock said: Certainly better if you enjoy not having movies in theaters and paying Netflix $80 a month. who is paying netflix $80/month?
December 5Dec 5 1 hour ago, Michael Knight said: Guess its better than David Ellison buying them https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce91x2jm5pjo How so?
December 5Dec 5 How are the apps going to be handled? Will Netflix absorb everything on Max into their app or allow Max to stay a standalone app? We are seeing this with Disney and Hulu. They are going to combine into one next year. If you have both (we do), all of Hulu's content is already being shown in Disney's app. So much to unfold here. HBO's content dwarfs Netflix's to me, especially all of their original shows dating back almost 30 years,.
December 5Dec 5 Author I'm guessing for now the HBO content will just be available on Netflix like it has been in the past
December 5Dec 5 2 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said: How are the apps going to be handled? Will Netflix absorb everything on Max into their app or allow Max to stay a standalone app? We are seeing this with Disney and Hulu. They are going to combine into one next year. If you have both (we do), all of Hulu's content is already being shown in Disney's app. So much to unfold here. HBO's content dwarfs Netflix's to me, especially all of their original shows dating back almost 30 years,. The answer is yes, eventually. It’s a battle for eyeballs, and the more you give the consumer the opportunity to switch apps, the more you give them the opportunity to switch to another corporation’s app. you will be paying $80 for a Netflix/HBO streaming package, and your choice for theatrical and physical media will dwindle.
December 5Dec 5 38 minutes ago, futureman said: who is paying netflix $80/month? You, in the future (man)
December 5Dec 5 11 minutes ago, Reynolds Woodcock said: The answer is yes, eventually. It’s a battle for eyeballs, and the more you give the consumer the opportunity to switch apps, the more you give them the opportunity to switch to another corporation’s app. you will be paying $80 for a Netflix/HBO streaming package, and your choice for theatrical and physical media will dwindle. I can see that. I wonder how this will affect the people who get Netflix at a discount through certain channels. We get Netflix at a big discount through T-Mobile. But I imagine they will take this merger into account for these customers. Netflix no ads plus Max no ads currently is what price? We used to use my fiance's sister's Max account for years until they cracked down hard on password sharing a few months ago. We are currently shopping around for this app as we enjoy it. I see it being offered in the Hulu/Disney/Max bundle. We already have Hulu/Disney/ESPN+. I am perfectly happy to replace ESPN+ with Max. ESPN+ shows a whole bunch of lower tier games I don't care about. But with Hulu and Disney merging in 2026 and now this HBO/Netflix merger, no idea what will happen with this bundle.
December 5Dec 5 Fuck at least David Zaslav won't keep killing finished projects just to harvest tax savings. Now some new asshole can kill projects after a single successful season!
December 5Dec 5 2 hours ago, Fastbreak said: I guess I’m a Netflix employee now… I can only imagine what game production is like now under a Netflix shop.
December 5Dec 5 4 hours ago, Vic Mackey said: How are the apps going to be handled? Will Netflix absorb everything on Max into their app or allow Max to stay a standalone app? We are seeing this with Disney and Hulu. They are going to combine into one next year. If you have both (we do), all of Hulu's content is already being shown in Disney's app. So much to unfold here. HBO's content dwarfs Netflix's to me, especially all of their original shows dating back almost 30 years,. Per Netflix, for now, 2 separate app and 2 separate fees. Until the acquisition is signed, sealed and delivered, which could take a year or longer. It took quite a while for Disney to start integrating the Hulu stuff into their app and then merging them next year.
December 5Dec 5 6 hours ago, Michael Knight said: Guess its better than David Ellison buying them https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce91x2jm5pjo 6 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said: Certainly better if you enjoy not having movies in theaters and paying Netflix $80 a month. 4 hours ago, Michael Knight said: Look how Paramount is getting gutted While I'd prefer the merger didn't happen at all this is absolutely better than Paramount and David Ellison getting WBD. This isn't over yet. Ellison was already in DC lobbying Trump to perhaps block the merger.
December 5Dec 5 I guess I should enjoy the free HBO Max we get through our ridiculously expensive AT&T phone bill while I ca.
December 5Dec 5 4 minutes ago, C-Man said: While I'd prefer the merger didn't happen at all this is absolutely better than Paramount and David Ellison getting WBD. This isn't over yet. Ellison was already in DC lobbying Trump to perhaps block the merger. I'm not sure I agree with that, although I agree that neither is a great outcome. For the average consumer, this is probably going to be a great deal. The average consumer doesn't care about craft or quality or experience. The average consumer cares about convenience. Sit on couch, turn on screen, screen output shiny content, scroll on smaller screen. The end. This deal will *without question* result in more of that. There is a smaller set of consumers that cares about both the quality of movies and the quality of the method by which movies are consumed. This deal is certainly a disaster for the latter, and probably very bad for the former.
December 6Dec 6 5 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said: For the average consumer, this is probably going to be a great deal. The average consumer doesn't care about craft or quality or experience. The average consumer cares about convenience. Sit on couch, turn on screen, screen output shiny content, scroll on smaller screen. The end. This deal will *without question* result in more of that. That consumer is already perfectly happy with the slop netflix currently puts out.
December 6Dec 6 5 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said: For the average consumer, this is probably going to be a great deal. The average consumer doesn't care about craft or quality or experience. The average consumer cares about convenience. Sit on couch, turn on screen, screen output shiny content, scroll on smaller screen. The end.
December 7Dec 7 Yes, this is a better outcome than MAGAmount buying them. But holy shit this CEO is a fucking idiot.
December 8Dec 8 On 12/5/2025 at 9:01 PM, WBT said: That consumer is already perfectly happy with the slop netflix currently puts out. If they actually brought the HBO/WB back-catalogue out into the spotlight and made it available, I could see canceling a few other services, as there is a shitload of older stuff that I'd watch, not to mention all of the animation that my kids would devour. But instead, we'll get Band of Brothers and Game of Thrones featured on the Netflix home screen and that's about it. And Harry Potter.
December 8Dec 8 22 minutes ago, HiggyBaby said: Paramount says hold my beer Netflix has been working on Trump for over a year. Netflix Reportedly Greased the Skids for Its Warner Acquisition by Yukking It Up with Trump
December 8Dec 8 This chart indicates, I think, Paramount could not/would not benefit from the HBO library. Also starkly indicates the incompetence of David Zaslav. Edited December 8Dec 8 by Chopper words
December 8Dec 8 Author Quote “I’m incredibly grateful for the relationship that I have with the president,” Ellison told CNBC. “And I also believe he believes in competition. And when you fundamentally look at the marketplace, allowing the No. 1 streaming service to combine with the No. 3 streaming service is anticompetitive.” Ellison also appealed to consumers and the industry. He told CNBC on Monday the Netflix-WBD deal would spell “the death of the theatrical movie business in Hollywood.” “It’s bad for the consumer, it’s bad for the creative community,” Ellison said. “We’re sitting here trying to save it.” Edited December 8Dec 8 by Michael Knight
December 8Dec 8 1 hour ago, HiggyBaby said: Paramount says hold my beer Yep, you knew this was coming.
December 8Dec 8 6 minutes ago, C-Man said: Yep, you knew this was coming. Also, it does seem a bit weird to NOT take the better deal (valued over $100bn versus the 80) from a purely fidicuary responsibility perspective, much less the increased regulatory tie-up the Netflix bid has.
December 8Dec 8 3 minutes ago, Vegas64 said: Also, it does seem a bit weird to NOT take the better deal (valued over $100bn versus the 80) from a purely fidicuary responsibility perspective, much less the increased regulatory tie-up the Netflix bid has. Whatever happens you can be assured that we will get the absolute worst outcome possible. Thank you, current timeline.
December 8Dec 8 14 minutes ago, C-Man said: Whatever happens you can be assured that we will get the absolute worst outcome possible. Thank you, current timeline. Netflix buying WB is probably that, if you are long on the longterm existence of Hollywood as we've come to know it (e.g. studios, distribution via movie theatres, Hollywood as a celebrity tastemaker, etc.). But WB being bought by Paramount is going to suck too, in other ways, like inevitiable mismanagement of IP, prices going up for consumers, rewarding the Ellison's, etc. But hey, it's all part of the elite capture anyways. Saw a funny story about how Zaslov and Sarandos accidentally bumped into each other at Polo Bar in midtown right before the deal closed (uh huh), which of course is a place I've been trying to get a reservation to for 6 months. Us poor folk will end up paying more for our stories, one way or another. Edited December 8Dec 8 by Vegas64
December 8Dec 8 Saudi's helping back Ellison's takeover. Kushner as well. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-launches-hostile-bid-for-warner-bros-1236444601/
December 8Dec 8 11 minutes ago, C-Man said: Saudi's helping back Ellison's takeover. Kushner as well. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-launches-hostile-bid-for-warner-bros-1236444601/ I think we all know how this plays out now with Trump being scrubbed in late last week as well.
December 8Dec 8 4 hours ago, Chopper said: This chart indicates, I think, Paramount could not/would not benefit from the HBO library. Also starkly indicates the incompetence of David Zaslav. Zaslav was such a fucking tick on the ass of WB. He was a pure finance goon who doesn't value creating art and original content, and only viewed the world as a means to secure tax breaks. Fuck him for destroying so many projects and shows, and straight up taking destroying dozens and dozens of IP's to harvest tax breaks.
December 8Dec 8 1 hour ago, Captainant said: Zaslav was such a fucking tick on the ass of WB. He was a pure finance goon who doesn't value creating art and original content, and only viewed the world as a means to secure tax breaks. Fuck him for destroying so many projects and shows, and straight up taking destroying dozens and dozens of IP's to harvest tax breaks. Your Batgirl fandom is showing (but you aren't wrong, directionally).
December 8Dec 8 10 minutes ago, Vegas64 said: Your Batgirl fandom is showing (but you aren't wrong, directionally). Lol not batgirl, Coyote vs Acme was finished and ready for release and it was killed so they could harvest tax credits. And they axed most of their backlog of animation and really fucked over all those folks who worked on it and lost years of portfolio work
December 9Dec 9 Paramount challenges Netflix with $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Business Paramount Skydance on Monday launched a hostile bid worth $108.4 billion for Warner Bros Discovery, hoping to outbid Netflix just days after the streaming giant reached a $72 billion takeover deal with the storied Hollywood studios. https://www.france24.com/en/business/20251208-paramount-challenges-netflix-with-108-4-billion-hostile-takeover-bid-for-warner-bros Edited December 9Dec 9 by Orange-4-Life
December 9Dec 9 I believe the Netflix bid doesn’t take the whole company leaving WB the ability to sell some of the “rest of the parts,” which WB prefers and probably drives total shareholder value higher.
December 9Dec 9 https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/netflix-warner-bros-deal-an-anti-monopoly-nightmare-sen-warren-says/3671693/
December 9Dec 9 3 minutes ago, Fico said: I believe the Netflix bid doesn’t take the whole company leaving WB the ability to sell some of the “rest of the parts,” which WB prefers and probably drives total shareholder value higher. Correct. The Netflix deal leaves out the "linear TV" portion of WB, which would be spun out as a separate company and shareholders retain equity in that. So it sort of boils down to is that remnant worth $18Bn?
December 9Dec 9 Ellison apparently told Trump he’d declaw CNN if he were to be successful with his hostile takeover.
December 9Dec 9 2 hours ago, C-Man said: Ellison apparently told Trump he’d declaw CNN if he were to be successful with his hostile takeover. CNN is already on that path.
December 10Dec 10 oops https://variety.com/2025/film/news/paramount-x-account-hacked-proud-arm-of-the-fascist-regime-1236604676/
December 17Dec 17 Author The board of Warner Bros. Discovery officially rejected David Ellison‘s $30 per share hostile bid for the company, telling shareholders that it remains “inferior” to the Netflix deal, and carries “numerous significant risks and costs on WBD.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-rejects-paramount-hostile-offer-bidding-war-1236446771/
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