Netflix, Amazon and Apple reportedly interested in buying Warner Bros.
The list of interested parties for a Warner Bros. takeover is growing. In addition to Paramount, Apple, Netflix, and Amazon are also reportedly interested.
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Warner Bros. Discovery's search for a buyer is progressing: According to a Bloomberg report, the media company wants to present non-disclosure agreements to its interested parties for signature this week before sharing financial information with them. This information is needed by interested parties to decide on a potential takeover.
According to the Bloomberg report, numerous well-known companies are among the potential buyers: Bloomberg names both Netflix and streaming competitors Amazon and Apple. Comcast is also said to be among the interested companies. Warner Bros. has already rejected an offer from Paramount Skydance, which was considered too low.
HBO as the main prize
The takeover of WarnerMedia and Discovery, which only merged in 2022, is likely to be the next mega-deal in the US media business. Warner includes, among others, the television and streaming provider HBO, which is behind many of the most famous series of recent decades – including "Game of Thrones", "The Wire", and "Succession".
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In Germany, HBO content is currently broadcast by Sky, while in the US, HBO operates its own streaming service. The HBO service is also to be offered in Germany at the beginning of next year.
Because Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio also includes the often Trump-critical news channel CNN, a potential deal also has a political component. The fact that the news business of the Trump administration is not considered sacrosanct in such takeovers was already shown by the merger of Paramount and Skydance. The FCC, which as the media supervisory authority has a say in such takeovers, only approved the deal after the Paramount subsidiary CBS conceded to the US President in a legal dispute.
(dahe)
