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Paramount Skydance wants WBD

It's being reported that the president bought about $1.25 million in debt from Netflix on the day the company withdraw from bidding on WBD. So in addition to the $2.6 billion cancellation fee, Netflix also received another $1.25 million. Not bad for doing nothing.

www.aol.com

Donald Trump Reportedly Bought Netflix Debt Amid Paramount’s Fight for Warner Bros.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly added more Netflix bonds to his investment portfolio. The purchases came amid intense corporate maneuvering, as Paramount pursued Warner Bros. Discovery. Netflix briefly entered the fray before backing away from a potential deal. Donald Trump buys Netflix...
www.aol.com www.aol.com

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Trump Bought Netflix Debt Amid Paramount’s Fight for Warner Bros.

New financial disclosures released Wednesday show that the President acquired Netflix bonds as Paramount was trying to pry WBD away from the streaming giant.
www.hollywoodreporter.com www.hollywoodreporter.com

One might wonder if such a thing is legal. It probably is. But who is going to tell this president what to do?
 
Last edited:
nomadcowatbk said:
does everyone under 30 think OTA TV is some kind of illegal hack?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing this question is about why so few in that demographic watch OTA TV?

It's about content and convenience. Streaming is superior for their lives and interests.

And it's not just under 30. I turn 70 in two weeks, and the only OTA shows I watch are Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Scrubs and Elsbeth. All of them can be seen commercial-free next day via streaming (in fact, that's how I watch Scrubs), but I don't see a compelling case for subscribing to Peacock (that reminds me, I need to cancel---we subscribed specifically for the Winter Olympics) or Paramount+, so I DVR them.
 
TheBigA said:
Bloomberg is reporting that the Chinese investment firm Tencent intends to invest approx $1 billion in PSKY to assist in the WBD acquisition.

Couple this with the reports of Saudi investment, and it's likely to trigger foreign ownership review.
Click to expand...

Their new consolidated slogan could be, "America Last."
 
variety.com

Democratic Senators Demand FCC Conduct Foreign Investment Review of Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal Over Backing by Middle Eastern Funds, China’s Tencent

The FCC must conduct a "thorough review" of the foreign investors backing Paramount Skydance's $111 billion proposed deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, seven Democratic senators said in a letter addressed to agency chairman Brendan Carr.
variety.com variety.com


deadline.com

“Not A Done Deal”: California AG Warns Paramount + WBD Merger Far From Certain

Champagne corks may be popping at Paramount over the successful bid for WBND, but up in Sacramento the mood is far from celebratory
deadline.com deadline.com
Here is more on the WB/Paramount deal being questioned in the senate. This is the same stuff the California Attorney General had concerns about with antitrust concerns at play in this merger.

The senators, led by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), expressed “deep concern” that sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Chinese gaming and internet giant Tencent “are providing billions in financing for the merger.” The deal would give Paramount Skydance ownership of WBD properties including CNN, HBO Max and Warner Bros.’s movie and TV studios.
“This constellation of foreign investment from China and from Gulf states, with complex and sometimes competing relationships with the United States, demands rigorous, not perfunctory, review,” the senators wrote.
Click to expand...
 
TheBigA said:
Here's a big picture look at what the PSKY takeover of WBD means for CNN:

www.yahoo.com

What the looming sale of CNN means for Trump’s feud with the network

Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Amid a public bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, President Donald Trump in December ...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
Click to expand...

From the article:

"
Ellison and CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson have emphasized in recent weeks that the network would not be swayed by political influence.

“We stand by our journalism,” Thompson wrote in response to the attacks. “Politicians have an obvious motive for claiming that journalism which raises
questions about their decisions is false. At CNN our only interest is in telling the truth to our audiences.”"

Didn't Mr. Ellison say something similar before taking over CBS?
 
Hollywood's top stars have signed a letter opposed to the PSKY WBD merger. The Ellisons have done a terrible job selling their plan to the creative community. While they may get DOJ approval, it will be harder for them to do business, given the hostility:

www.nbcnews.com

Hollywood stars sign open letter protesting the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

The signers warned that the blockbuster corporate union would shrink competition "at a moment when our industries—and the audiences we serve—can least afford it."
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

There's more money and freedom for these stars to work with Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and other new competitors.
 


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