Warner Bros again rejects latest hostile bid from Paramount

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by By ReutersJanuary 7, 2026 at 07:15 PM

AI Summary

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Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rejected Paramount Skydance's revised $108.4 billion acquisition bid, deeming it "inadequate" due to its reliance on a high amount of debt financing. The WBD board reaffirmed its commitment to Netflix's $82.7 billion deal for the studio. Paramount's offer involved $40 billion in equity, guaranteed by Larry Ellison, and $54 billion in debt. WBD's board believes this would create financial instability for the combined entity. Some investors, like Pentwater Capital Management CEO Matthew Halbower, disagree, arguing Paramount's offer is economically superior. WBD's board cited insufficient value, uncertainty in Paramount's ability to complete the offer, and risks to WBD shareholders as reasons for the rejection.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

S&P Global 30% David Ellison 35% Oracle 35% Pentwater Capital Management 40% Larry Ellison 40% Matthew Halbower ×250% Netflix ×260% Paramount Skydance ×685% Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) ×790%

Keywords

warner bros discovery 100% paramount skydance 90% hostile bid 90% leveraged buyout 80% acquisition 70% debt financing 70% shareholders 60% merger 60% netflix 50% market value 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Score: -0.10

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Al Jazeera

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Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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warner bros discovery paramount skydance hostile bid leveraged buyout acquisition debt financing shareholders merger netflix market value

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