Warner Bros. Discovery is in talks to merge with Parmaount Global, according to a report from Axios. The site claims that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish on Tuesday in New York City to discuss the merger. According to the report Zaslav has also spoken to Shari Redstone, who owns Paramount Global’s parent company. Recently Skydance was also kicking the tires of a controlling interest in Paramount (which inflated the stock price for Paramount), while talks of an Apple/Paramount merger have also persisted.
A WBD/Paramount merger would be the latest consolidation of Hollywood power. In 2019 Disney bought out 21st Century’s assets to become an even bigger behemoth. While Amazon recently purchased legacy studio MGM.
According to the report, it is currently unclear whether WBD would buy Paramount Global or its parent company, National Amusements Inc., but a source that reported to Axios said that situation says that both options are on the table.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the company that is home to the DC Comics-based cinematic universe as well as one of the more storied libraries in Hollywood, would merge with Paramount Global, home to the “Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Transformers” franchises.
More to come…
