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Warner Bros Discovery urges shareholders to reject Paramount's $108.4bn takeover bid
The Guardian· 2025-12-17 12:49
Core Viewpoint - Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has urged shareholders to reject a $108.4 billion hostile takeover offer from Paramount Skydance, labeling it as "inadequate" amidst a significant corporate battle for control of the media conglomerate [1]. Group 1: Takeover Offer and Corporate Strategy - WBD has agreed to sell its movie studios, HBO cable network, and streaming service to Netflix in a deal valued at $82.7 billion, indicating a major shift in Hollywood's landscape [1]. - Paramount, which had previously made a private bid for WBD, countered with an all-cash offer and intends to take the proposal directly to shareholders [2]. - WBD's board concluded that Paramount's offer is inadequate and poses significant risks and costs to shareholders, failing to address key concerns raised in previous proposals [4]. Group 2: Funding and Regulatory Concerns - Questions arose regarding how the Ellison family is funding their proposal, with a regulatory filing revealing backing from outside funders, including Affinity Partners, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and the Qatar Investment Authority [5]. - WBD accused Paramount of relying on an "unknown and opaque revocable trust" to support its bid, describing the proposal as "illusory" and not to be trusted by WBD shareholders [6]. - WBD firmly denied that regulators would be more likely to approve Paramount's bid compared to its deal with Netflix, warning of significant additional costs, including a $2.8 billion termination fee to Netflix if the Paramount offer is accepted [7].
Jim Cramer rejects Wall Street doubts about Nvidia, Apple and Warner Bros. Discovery
CNBC· 2025-12-09 23:36
Group 1: Nvidia - Nvidia has seen significant growth, becoming the first stock to reach a market cap of $4 trillion earlier this year and briefly topping $5 trillion in October [2] - Concerns exist regarding Nvidia's business prospects in China due to potential sales restrictions on its chips; however, there is still demand for these products in the country [3] Group 2: Apple - Apple is viewed as a long-term winner despite Wall Street's reservations; the company's stock has increased over 10% year-to-date and has been on a winning streak since September [4] Group 3: Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) - WBD's CEO David Zaslov is recognized for efforts to reduce substantial debt and improve the HBO streaming service; there is renewed interest from potential acquirers, contradicting earlier doubts about the company's attractiveness [5]