Warner/Discovery merge with NBC Universal bantered about

[Joseph_Gallant]

Another problem with such a merger is The Feds.

For one thing, several properties (perhaps including CNN, given that NBC/Universal owns MSNBC; either the Universal or Warner Brothers studios, and perhaps several other cable networks) would have to be divested.

Short of a divesture of a substantial number of assets, I can't see this merger happening.

 

[Will_H_69_9]

i don't thing the entire WBD company will merge with NBCUniversal, what may happen instead is some assets are spun off and sold to them in a fashion simlar to the Disney/Fox merger where they spun the Fox Network, FS1 & FS2, Fox Business, Fox News, Big Ten Network and the FSN RSNs off from the Disney purchased company with all but the FS1 networks being retained by the Murdochs under a new "News Corporation" banner while the rest were retained by 21st Century Fox which was sold to Disney, and the FSN RSNs got divested to Sinclair Broadcasting Group and became Bally Sports.

 

[Don CT]

i don't thing the entire WBD company will merge with NBCUniversal, what may happen instead is some assets are spun off and sold to them in a fashion simlar to the Disney/Fox merger where they spun the Fox Network, FS1 & FS2, Fox Business, Fox News, Big Ten Network and the FSN RSNs off from the Disney purchased company with all but the FS1 networks being retained by the Murdochs under a new "News Corporation" banner while the rest were retained by 21st Century Fox which was sold to Disney, and the FSN RSNs got divested to Sinclair Broadcasting Group and became Bally Sports.

If I'm Comcast I want the good parts not the left overs.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Some of which depends on what a company is looking for to consider good. Bargains can also be good.

 

[Don CT]

Some of which depends on what a company is looking for to consider good. Bargains can also be good.

What is worth more content wise, the Turner channels the Discovery channels or the movie studio.

Maybe Comcast can buy the Turner sports division and bolster NBC Sports. They can’t get the movie studio or more cable channels without divesting first.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

What’s a bigger value depends on a buyer’s desires and terms of a deal. You know this.

 

[Don CT]

What’s a bigger value depends on a buyer’s desires and terms of a deal. You know this.

I don't think under any circumstances that Comcast make a bid for any Discovery properties.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Maybe not. It’s all just one investor pontificating about they think it’s a good idea. Perhaps there’s a very good reason that person is posting on Forbes and not actually running major corporations.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

If I'm Comcast I want the good parts not the left overs.

Wait isn't the SEC and DOJ make the decision if the things Comcast or WB are divesting are good enough for a deal. Also we seen this in other mergers like the CBS Radio and Entercom deals that the company now known as Audacy has to get another party involved to get the divested properties to get the deal approved. Note for now that Comcast and WB deal does not sound right given that WB has just taken over Discovery Inc.

 

[AceBiscuits]

i don't thing the entire WBD company will merge with NBCUniversal, what may happen instead is some assets are spun off and sold to them in a fashion simlar to the Disney/Fox merger where they spun the Fox Network, FS1 & FS2, Fox Business, Fox News, Big Ten Network and the FSN RSNs off from the Disney purchased company with all but the FS1 networks being retained by the Murdochs under a new "News Corporation" banner while the rest were retained by 21st Century Fox which was sold to Disney, and the FSN RSNs got divested to Sinclair Broadcasting Group and became Bally Sports.

The Fox properties you mentioned were never part of the original deal. The RSNs were but they were forced to divest.

WBD/NBCU will never happen due to antitrust unless they make some significant divestitures, the question is to who?

 

[Don CT]

Wait isn't the SEC and DOJ make the decision if the things Comcast or WB are divesting are good enough for a deal. Also we seen this in other mergers like the CBS Radio and Entercom deals that the company now known as Audacy has to get another party involved to get the divested properties to get the deal approved. Note for now that Comcast and WB deal does not sound right given that WB has just taken over Discovery Inc.

This is why I don’t this this deal ever happens. Neither company has the capital to do it. Plus Comcast won’t do it unless they get something worth money. The DOJ won’t allow a WB Universal merger so the studios are out. They already have too many networks so they can’t take on anymore. What can Comcast absorb from Discovery at this point.

 

[Don CT]

Let’s say Discovery puts themselves up for sale. Who would take it on. They would have to sell off what they just bought. They are not big enough to take on anymore. Too big for a sell off. They are stuck in no man’s land. Paramount is out. Comcast is out. Disney is out.

 

[vchimpanzee]

This article is linked in the other story:

https://comicbook.com/TV-shows/news...DRllJQTg3UzVGcm9DMzlxOFZTZUFoT1lOR2ZQNDhSVQ..

Link doesn't work. Well, now it does.

 

[Don CT]

Link doesn't work. Well, now it does.

Not for me.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Not for me.

I didn't get around to checking. I see now that turning blue doesn't make it a real,link.

 

[CTListener]

I didn't get around to checking. I see now that turning blue doesn't make it a real,link.

This board's software shortens URLs by inserting ellipses in the middle. Unfortunately, unlike any other board I've ever seen, this glitchy software doesn't preserve the original full URL and the user winds up trying to reach a URL with ellipses in the middle, which is never going to work. It doesn't happen every time someone posts a URL, but it happens enough to be quite annoying.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://deadline.com/2022/09/warner-bros-discovery-merger-talks-david-zaslav-not-for-sale-town-hall-1235129580/#recipient_hashed=2ec9ce834f7dfcbd8366c088aae71c4495ea058de393aaa911e79a0a64eaa988&recipient_salt=1647efd76c5fdce2b562fb95bdf916387b7d2ea6936a1d5940c4336463521675

Here is Warner's response to the talks

https://deadline.com/2022/09/cnn-cuts-audio-jobs-1235129540/

The top brass at Warner Bros Discovery held a company-wide town hall Wednesday over Zoom in which they laid out the current state of the company and the industry, acknowledging the hard times amid a slew of cost-cutting moves and layoffs and emphatically addressing merger rumors with CEO David Zaslav exclaiming, “We are not for sale, absolutely, not for sale.”

This is according to sources on the Zoom. The CEO didn’t specifically address which company he was referring to, but the assumption by many was that he was referring to Comcast. There was no mention of pending layoffs.