Streaming Wars Continue as Paramount Takes Final Swing

Group 1 - Netflix is making a significant $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, raising questions about its industry power and the implications for competitors [1] - Paramount Skydance Corp has countered with a hostile bid valued at $108.4 billion, or $30 per share, which is $18 billion more than Netflix's offer [2] - The stock of PSKY has increased by 8% to $14.44, recovering from previous losses amid the competitive bidding situation [2] Group 2 - There has been a surge in options trading for PSKY, with 34,000 calls traded, which is three times the average, indicating heightened investor interest [3] - The February 17 call option is the most popular, suggesting that new positions are being established [3] - Currently, 23 out of 24 brokerages have rated PSKY as a "hold" or worse, indicating a potential for upgrades if bearish sentiment shifts [3] Group 3 - PSKY is on the short sale restricted list, with short interest increasing by 13.8%, representing 5.2% of the stock's available float [4] - There are 53.46 million shares sold short, indicating that it would take over six days for short sellers to cover their positions [4]