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Paramount Skydance wants WBD

michael hagerty said:
That's right---Ellison's bid was for ALL of WB Discovery. Which would give him CNN.

Not saying I'm not a dope and that I don't need more coffee, but that's probably what got stuck in the frontal lobes.
Click to expand...

What if all Ellison wanted was CNN? What if he doesn't want all of WBD. The midterms are next year, and he has a chance with CNN to shape a narrative.

thedreydossier.substack.com

The Day Larry Ellison Lost and Won: What Really Happened at Warner Bros.

If you’ve been anywhere near Hollywood this last week, you know the vibe.
thedreydossier.substack.com thedreydossier.substack.com

The Murdochs sold off most of their pofitable assets, but kept Fox News and their TV channels. What's to say Ellison is looking to do the same? Entertainment might be a money spinner, but power and influence wins.
 
leethalweapon said:
What if all Ellison wanted was CNN? What if he doesn't want all of WBD. The midterms are next year, and he has a chance with CNN to shape a narrative.
Click to expand...

It's an interesting question. The narrative for the past year has been that Ellison isn't interested in linear. But maybe we've been wrong about that.

As I said earlier in this thread, there have been a lot of discussions about combining CBS News and CNN, going back to the 80s.

However, he shouldn't overvalue the impact of CNN on domestic politics. Cable news has become a smaller factor.
 
leethalweapon said:
Cable yes. Cell phone/Tablets are the next battle ground. Everyone can have news in the palm of their hand. This is where CNN can step up.
Click to expand...

They're already #1 on X. But does anyone believe them? This administration has spent the past 12 years killing the brand.

There's an assumption people make that the media can change minds. I don't believe that's true. Most preach to the converted.
 
leethalweapon said:
Places like X or Facebook are just used as promotional tools. If you want any actual news, use the apps. If I want actual news, I'm not going to get it from social media sites.
Click to expand...
I wish you were right. Far too many people take whatever's posted on Antisocial Media (X and Facebook are probably the two worst perpetrators) as absolute gospel, regardless of political leanings.
 
KeithE4 said:
I wish you were right. Far too many people take whatever's posted on Antisocial Media (X and Facebook are probably the two worst perpetrators) as absolute gospel, regardless of political leanings.
Click to expand...
My Facebook feed just reminds me,
1, How bad the algorithm is.
2, How shallow, partisan and fake Australian commercial mainstream media is.
 
leethalweapon said:
My Facebook feed just reminds me,
1, How bad the algorithm is.
2, How shallow, partisan and fake Australian commercial mainstream media is.
Click to expand...
Your media can't possibly be as bad as US media is. I hope. :eek:

I've never bothered with XTwitter, and I only use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends that go back over 50 years in some cases. I spend a lot of time going through the steps that are required to ignore FB pages that spew garbage, to the point that I'm surprised that FB hasn't threatened me with temporary exile.
 
leethalweapon said:
What if all Ellison wanted was CNN? What if he doesn't want all of WBD. The midterms are next year, and he has a chance with CNN to shape a narrative.

thedreydossier.substack.com

The Day Larry Ellison Lost and Won: What Really Happened at Warner Bros.

If you’ve been anywhere near Hollywood this last week, you know the vibe.
thedreydossier.substack.com thedreydossier.substack.com

The Murdochs sold off most of their pofitable assets, but kept Fox News and their TV channels. What's to say Ellison is looking to do the same? Entertainment might be a money spinner, but power and influence wins.
Click to expand...

I mean, maybe...but he's been quoted by several people in a position to know as saying that Warners was key to giving Paramount scale. He can pick up CNN, but its reach ain't what it used to be and I'm not sure how much narrative-shaping he can get away with, given how public the debate is over what he's done with CBS News.
 
michael hagerty said:
I mean, maybe...but he's been quoted by several people in a position to know as saying that Warners was key to giving Paramount scale. He can pick up CNN, but its reach ain't what it used to be and I'm not sure how much narrative-shaping he can get away with, given how public the debate is over what he's done with CBS News.
Click to expand...
Yes, all the talk is around how they have trashed CBS News, but the present administration has all but abandoned mast legacy operators.

As was pointed out in the Substack video, there were three different investment entities set up to get the Paramount Skydance merger across, and it was planned well in advance. Where as there was only one Delaware entity registration, made by Oriole, days before the Netflix announcement It signals that there could be some bait and switch going on.

Plus, I truly think that acquiring cable assets like CNN can give them a chance to gain younger audiences through technology, cell phones and tablets.
 
leethalweapon said:
Yes, all the talk is around how they have trashed CBS News, but the present administration has all but abandoned mast legacy operators.

As was pointed out in the Substack video, there were three different investment entities set up to get the Paramount Skydance merger across, and it was planned well in advance. Where as there was only one Delaware entity registration, made by Oriole, days before the Netflix announcement It signals that there could be some bait and switch going on.

Plus, I truly think that acquiring cable assets like CNN can give them a chance to gain younger audiences through technology, cell phones and tablets.
Click to expand...

Through technology, yes. But gaining a younger audience with the CNN brand is a big ask. It has about as much cachet with anyone under 65 as CSPAN (but with less credibility).

And in terms of being able to leverage it for a narrative for the midterms? We're at eleven months and counting...four months to the first primaries. You can't get an audience you don't have (especially with a heritage brand everyone thinks they know and either like or don't) and have a meaningful effect on the narrative in that narrow a window.

And the administration doesn't really seem interested in long-term help for GOP candidates and causes. Everything so far has been about removing various thorns from Trump's paw. And CNN already threw Jim Acosta under the bus early on.
 
TheBigA said:
Today Paramount has launched a hostile bid for Warner, using foreign money to top the Netflix offer:

www.nbcnews.com

Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery despite Netflix deal

The offer comes days after Netflix struck a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming assets. Paramount's hostile bid is for the entire company.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
Click to expand...

I kinda had a hunch. Ellison needs more than Paramount, or he's screwed---and if Netflix gets Warners, he could merge with anyone else and still be only #2 or #3.
 
TheBigA said:
Netflix stock was down $3.40 Monday after Paramount upped it's offer:

www.investors.com

Wall Street Sours On Netflix Stock Amid Warner Bros. Acquisition

Netflix stock slid Monday as Wall Street analysts weighed the challenges of its pending acquisition of Warner Bros.
www.investors.com www.investors.com

A bidding war will raise the price, which is bad for Netflix, but good for WBD.
Click to expand...

Okay---so you're a WBD stockholder----let me ask you:

You're getting $28 a share from Netflix.

Ellison says $30 for WBD as a whole is his offer.

But aren't you going to do better than two bucks a share when WBD spins the rest of the assets after a sale to Netflix? Or no?
 
leethalweapon said:
What if all Ellison wanted was CNN? What if he doesn't want all of WBD. The midterms are next year, and he has a chance with CNN to shape a narrative.

thedreydossier.substack.com

The Day Larry Ellison Lost and Won: What Really Happened at Warner Bros.

If you’ve been anywhere near Hollywood this last week, you know the vibe.
thedreydossier.substack.com thedreydossier.substack.com

The Murdochs sold off most of their pofitable assets, but kept Fox News and their TV channels. What's to say Ellison is looking to do the same? Entertainment might be a money spinner, but power and influence wins.
Click to expand...
If all he wanted was CNN he would wait until the split.
 
michael hagerty said:
But aren't you going to do better than two bucks a share when WBD spins the rest of the assets after a sale to Netflix? Or no?
Click to expand...

A spin isn't the same as a sell. No guarantee we'll get money if he spins. We may just end up with stock in a declining company.

So my plan is to sell at break even, and we're very close to that now. WBD hit $28 today.
 
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