Warner Bros gives Paramount seven days to make ‘best and final’ offer

The Guardian - World NewsEN 3 min read 100% complete by Mark SweneyFebruary 17, 2026 at 02:20 PM

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Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has given Paramount Skydance seven days, until February 23rd, to submit its "best and final" offer to acquire the company. This comes after Paramount made several sweetened offers that WBD rejected, sticking to its existing merger agreement with Netflix. WBD secured a waiver from Netflix to engage with Paramount, as the board believes Paramount's proposal could potentially be a superior offer. Netflix retains the right to improve its bid if Paramount presents a better offer. The current Netflix deal, valued at $82.7 billion, would give the streaming giant control of WBD's assets, including Warner Bros and HBO. WBD hopes the deadline will conclude Paramount's efforts and allow the merger process to proceed.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Ross Benes 40% Emarketer 40% David Zaslav 50% HBO 50% Samuel DiPiazza Jr 50% Warner Bros ×260% Netflix ×780% Paramount Skydance ×685% Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) ×1090%

Keywords

best and final offer 90% warner bros discovery 90% merger agreement 80% paramount skydance 80% netflix 80% takeover offer 70% superior offer 70% hostile takeover 60% streaming company 50% entertainment industry 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Score: 0.05

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Source

The Guardian - World News

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90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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best and final offer warner bros discovery merger agreement paramount skydance netflix takeover offer superior offer hostile takeover streaming company entertainment industry

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