New York Post·2025-12-17 00:06Core Viewpoint - Paramount Skydance is maintaining its $30-a-share, all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and is arguing that its $78 billion offer is superior to WBD's current deal with Netflix [1][6]. Group 1: Bid Details - Paramount Skydance's owners, David and Larry Ellison, along with RedBird Capital, plan to assure shareholders that they will cover the $2.8 billion breakup fee, which equates to about $1 per share, if enough investors support their bid by the January 8 deadline [2]. - Paramount Skydance is confident in its financing, claiming to have secured credit lines from Bank of America and Apollo, with Larry Ellison contributing $12 billion in cash and Gulf State funds providing another $24 billion in equity [7][8]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape - There is speculation of a bidding war as WBD is expected to formally urge investors to reject Paramount Skydance's hostile bid, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding the financing of Paramount's offer [4][10]. - Notable media investor Mario Gabelli has expressed his intention to support Paramount's all-cash bid over Netflix's deal, which involves stock and complex financing [5][10]. Group 3: Regulatory Considerations - Paramount Skydance argues that its deal presents regulatory certainty compared to Netflix's offer, which may trigger a lengthy antitrust investigation due to the combination of streaming assets [8]. - WBD and Netflix counter that regulatory concerns are overstated, citing the reliance of consumers on social media and YouTube for programming rather than streaming services [10]. Group 4: Financial Backing and Concerns - Larry Ellison's commitment to backstop the deal is under scrutiny, as his wealth is primarily tied to Oracle shares, which have lost significant value since the bidding began [11]. - Critics argue that Ellison's backing is not personal but comes from a revocable trust, although Paramount Skydance defends the trust as a legitimate source of his wealth for deal-making [12].