Netflix buys Warner Bros Discovery in deal set to reshape Hollywood

[Jman]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-for-sale-1236406132/
 

Zaslav’s final legacy.  Blowing it all up.

 

Edited 23 hours ago by Jman

[Mr. Idea Box]

I feel conflicted on this. I know that I want Zaslav to be out of the WB picture, but I don't want it to be because WB is being sold off AGAIN.

At this point, I just hope the next owner knows how to handle movie studios.

[PokeNirvash]

Congratulations: David from Accounting defenestrated himself.

[Top Gun]

How do I get someone to pay me tens of millions of dollars for being an incompetent twat?

[Toonamiguy321]

On 10/21/2025 at 8:45 AM, Mr. Idea Box said:

I feel conflicted on this. I know that I want Zaslav to be out of the WB picture, but I don't want it to be because WB is being sold off AGAIN.

At this point, I just hope the next owner knows how to handle movie studios.

This feels like it will evolve into a situation where people celebrate Zaslav being out of the picture, then we get a taster of the new owners and suddenly Zaslav looks like the preferable option. 

[Mr. Idea Box]

2 hours ago, Toonamiguy321 said:

This feels like it will evolve into a situation where people celebrate Zaslav being out of the picture, then we get a taster of the new owners and suddenly Zaslav looks like the preferable option. 

I dread the day that people would prefer the guy that wrote off numerous in-production projects for tax-related purposes.

[PenguinBoss]

I think it'll be the opposite, where the new CEO is also god awful, but people will say "At least he's not Zaslav."

[PokeNirvash]

A.K.A. How everyone except the misogynists thought of Christina Miller after Stuart Snyder stepped down as Cartoon Network's president.

[Toonamiguy321]

6 hours ago, Mr. Idea Box said:

I dread the day that people would prefer the guy that wrote off numerous in-production projects for tax-related purposes.

There seems to be this odd belief that Zaslav is the only man on earth with the ability and desire to write things off. I’m just saying, we can quickly go to “at least Zaslav didn’t write off THIS much when he was in charge!” And the people willing to buy any piece of a company this far underwater aren’t the ones with a desire to turn it around, just to squeeze as much capital from it as possible before tricking a different sucker into buying it again. 

[Jman]

https://deadline.com/2025/11/paramount-netflix-comcast-submit-wbd-bids-1236625396/
 

The first round of bids have started.  
 

 

[Jman]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-25/warner-bros-is-said-to-ask-bidders-to-submit-sweetened-offers?sref=W6GJF3MS

 

Final, binding bids are due December 1.  The fate of Warner will be decided one way or another.

[Mr. Idea Box]

4 hours ago, Jman said:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-25/warner-bros-is-said-to-ask-bidders-to-submit-sweetened-offers?sref=W6GJF3MS

 

Final, binding bids are due December 1.  The fate of Warner will be decided one way or another.

This has a 20% chance of working in WB's favor.

[Jman]

https://nypost.com/2025/11/25/media/netflix-steps-up-charm-offensive-to-buy-warner-bros-discovery-even-after-trump-favors-rival-bid-from-paramount/
 

Looks like Netflix is taking the lead over Paramount.

[Mr. Idea Box]

Well, folks? Today's the big day. We will find out whether WB will be a hood ornament for Everest, have a Rabbit supplanted by a Peacock, be forced into a streaming-first climate, or split in two as initially intended.

Whatever happens after that, just know that it's been a nerve-wracking few weeks, and I'd be glad just to get some closure.

[Jman]

5 hours ago, Mr. Idea Box said:

Well, folks? Today's the big day. We will find out whether WB will be a hood ornament for Everest, have a Rabbit supplanted by a Peacock, be forced into a streaming-first climate, or split in two as initially intended.

Whatever happens after that, just know that it's been a nerve-wracking few weeks, and I'd be glad just to get some closure.

Unfortunately, as Hollywood is want to do, you will be waiting.

 

Warner received the bids.  They either announce a winner and enter into exclusive negotiations this week, or they declare all the bids crap and ask for a fresh round of bids.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-12-01/warner-bros-discovery-auction-second-round-netflix-comcast-paramount-what-to-know

The LA Times is reporting our pal Zaslav prefers Comcast.

Edited Monday at 09:43 PM by Jman

[Jman]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/netflix-puts-in-mostly-cash-offer-as-warner-bros-discovery-bidding-war-heats-up/ar-AA1RvQEr?ocid=BingNewsVerp
 

The Netflix bid is straight up cash.  No stock or other collateral.

[Sketch]

Oh man… Netflix is winning

Cartoon Network (probably not AS) is so screwed

[Jman]

Netflix was willing to pay out of the ass for it, which is probably why Paramount threw that legal tantrum earlier.  

If I'm DeMarco, I start updating my resume.

[Jman]

Well, Netflix just confirmed it themselves.   There are a LOT of hurdles to be cleared, between contracts, regulations foreign and domestic, and unions like the directors guild will be seeking protections for movie theaters, but it’s underway.

Again, DeMarco?  Polish your resume.

[MasqueradeOverture]

This might be the single worst thing to ever happen to this industry.

[[classic swim]]

A part of me would’ve retched *or wanted to retch* if Viacom got it. But I’m just not in the demographic for any of their shit anymore, and should’ve saw this coming. They killed Blockbuster.

[Sketch]

5 hours ago, Jman said:

Netflix was willing to pay out of the ass for it, which is probably why Paramount threw that legal tantrum earlier.  

If I'm DeMarco, I start updating my resume.

His resume looks considerably worse after the string of flops he co-produced so best of luck to him…

Really wondering what this means for all of the WB owned CN and AS programming currently on the network. They always had to pay Warner for WBA productions, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, DC shows and the like but now will they have to license Smiling Friends, Rick & Morty and Primal? Even stuff like Aqua Teen, Squidbillies, Metalocalypse, Venture Bros, Samurai Jack, Billy and Mandy, Dexter, PPG, Courage, Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gumball? Or do those remain in the channel library at no additional cost?

If they have to pay Netflix in order to air those shows then they’ll let most of them go. If you think the AS schedule lacks variety now, just you wait.

What will the CN side even do if they have to pay to play Gumball reruns? That’s like half their hours.

[Blatch]

Well, this seems like the least-bad outcome for Warners. But let's see what the regulatory state has to say about it.

I don't know if Zaslav will be involved in the merged company, but hopefully they give him a whole bunch of money to screw off. Couldn't happen to a more/less-qualified guy.

[MasqueradeOverture]

1 hour ago, Sketch said:

His resume looks considerably worse after the string of flops he co-produced so best of luck to him…

Really wondering what this means for all of the WB owned CN and AS programming currently on the network. They always had to pay Warner for WBA productions, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, DC shows and the like but now will they have to license Smiling Friends, Rick & Morty and Primal? Even stuff like Aqua Teen, Squidbillies, Metalocalypse, Venture Bros, Samurai Jack, Billy and Mandy, Dexter, PPG, Courage, Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gumball? Or do those remain in the channel library at no additional cost?

If they have to pay Netflix in order to air those shows then they’ll let most of them go. If you think the AS schedule lacks variety now, just you wait.

What will the CN side even do if they have to pay to play Gumball reruns? That’s like half their hours.

Netflix/WB is gonna pull the Catch 22 of spinning off the linear channels while not supplying the licensed programming.

Let's use Occam's Razor here. Other than Paramount taking CNN (which they'd be able to successfully rebrand as the Conservative News Network), what use would there be in taking the other channels without their original content?

Edited yesterday at 06:35 PM by MasqueradeOverture

[Sketch]

Everything I’m hearing about Ellison now makes me glad Skydance didn’t get WB. They certainly would have a ton of redundancy so CN was doomed either way and now we avoid Rick & Morty simultaneously on Comedy Central and Adult Swim.

But can Adult Swim even keep using that brand without licensing it? Is the Toonami brand going to be locked away now because Netflix owns it and doesn’t want to use it? Or are those particular brands owned by the Discovery half now?

Edited yesterday at 06:58 PM by Sketch

[Toonamiguy321]

1 hour ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

Let's use Occam's Razor here. Other than Paramount taking CNN (which they'd be able to successfully rebrand as the Conservative News Network), what use would there be in taking the other channels without their original content?

In 3 years, CNN will be completely worthless. They saw their ratings plummet in 2021-2024 because they didn’t have anything to bitch about. If people can’t watch CNN for the sake of making themselves angry, they won’t watch. 
 

1 hour ago, Sketch said:

But can Adult Swim even keep using that brand without licensing it? Is the Toonami brand going to be locked away now because Netflix owns it and doesn’t want to use it? Or are those particular brands owned by the Discovery half now?

What I’m reading is that CN/AS and all other linear cable channels are being spun off into the doomed debt dump company. What I’m not getting  a clear answer on is if  Netflix actually owns this. 
 

It seems that it’s going to take most of 2026 to iron everything out, so we should have at least one more year of AS/Toonami before anything dire happens. And even before this deal, I had seen a lot of people thinking the block runs out of gas by 2027 anyway, so this may just be the natural stopping point. 

[Sketch]

From my current understanding though it’s not conclusive, Cartoon Network Studios under WB Animation owns all the shows made for CN and AS including the Williams Street shows but Cartoon Network Incorporated which will be part of the dumping ground owns the brands Adult Swim, Boomerang and Toonami and the channel can keep the name Cartoon Network despite losing the studio to WB.

So if they can keep their heads above water and if Discovery Global sees fit to keep them funded, then Adult Swim and even Toonami can continue after this sale clears. So we’re basically back to the clock ticking down to the ultimate demise of cable but the deal itself won’t necessarily kill the network faster. However, they will have to pay to keep playing their current breadwinning original series. Whether or not they can do that largely depends on money and if Netflix will play ball in 2027 and onwards.