The media landscape has changed drastically in just the last decade as streaming platforms became a new battleground for studios. A few years ago, we even lost one of the major studios when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, and now it looks like we may be in for that again, as it’s being reported that Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Pictures are discussing a merger.
Axios was the first to report on the meeting, but other media outlets have since confirmed that it happened. According to the report, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has spoken to Paramount CEO Bob Bakish, as well as Paramount’s parent company head Shari Redstone, about a potential merger. WBD has reportedly hired bankers to explore the financial side of the deal.
Needless to say this would be massive if it were to happen. Not only would a merger of WBD and Paramount shrink the total number of major studios, but it would also create a huge media company.
While the report makes it clear that talks are in very early stages and may not ultimately result in a deal at all, the fact that talks are even happening is a big sign. WBD is the bigger dog in the merger, with a valuation around three times that of Paramount. So while this may technically be a merger, it would likely be a case of Warner Bros. Discovery buying Paramount.
More to come…