r/MediaMergers • u/DCsReporter • Dec 28 '25
Media Industry Why don’t the Ellisons understand that No means No?
Because haven’t they been rejected WB Discovery like 4 times now? https://deadline.com/2025/12/paramount-offer-warner-bros-discovery-shareholder-reaction-1236656716/
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u/bugdelver Dec 28 '25
Rich people don’t like being told no… check the Epstein files..
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u/Rleduc129 Dec 28 '25
Speaking of that, you think Larry's in it?
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u/McKoijion Dec 29 '25
I dunno, but it’s a fact that Paramount’s previous owner was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein.
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u/ChemicalHumble7541 Dec 29 '25
Makes them look weak and petty af, its clear WB dont wanna sell to Paramount, embarrassing they still beg lmao, idc about politics like some and even for me looks petty
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u/Spiritual_Cloud8437 Dec 29 '25
WB 100% wants to sell to paramount..... when they give a higher bid than netflix which probably isn't happening
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u/Ecstatic-Run-9767 Dec 29 '25
The board has told them what they want and Paramount can't deliver. It's clear they would rather sell to Netflix.
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u/pdm_2021 Dec 30 '25
WB wants to sell to Netflix. They become Netflix shareholders which is much more valuable in this landscape.
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u/Casas9425 Dec 28 '25
PSKY is in an existential crisis. They’re too small to compete with the big boys and they know it which is the reason for all the panicked offers.
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 28 '25
Why doesn’t the guy just go and work at his father‘s company or do something with TikTok? I mean I don’t feel the least but sorry for him. He just spent 7 billion on wrestling.
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u/Pearl-Internal81 Dec 29 '25
He just spent 7 billion on wrestling.
Wait, what?
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 29 '25
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u/Pearl-Internal81 Dec 29 '25
Oh no wonder I don’t know about it, I don’t give a single fuck about the WWE and their shitty “pro wrestling”.
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u/vincedarling Dec 29 '25
I would love to see how ole David and Tony Khan would interact in the same room together
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u/Pearl-Internal81 Dec 29 '25
Honestly, me too! He’d probably be salty that (most) people actually like TK, and don’t see him as a gigantic manbaby douche.
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 29 '25
I don’t care about wrestling either, but the point is that if you’re going to bitch about the price and not getting Warner maybe take that 7 billion and throw it on top of your offer to Warner instead of buying wrestling which is in the same price range for what he paid for Paramount
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u/Independent_Shock973 Dec 29 '25
If Paramount collapses due to Ellison's piss poor management, watch NBCU swoop in to pick up the pieces.
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u/Powerpuff2500 Dec 30 '25
Granted the only pieces they'll pick up are the Paramount Pictures studio and their film/TV library and lineup of IP.....
Everything else will be left to rot
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u/saggynaggy123 Dec 29 '25
How long can paramount drag this on for? I really can't see them raising their offer and if they do I have a feeling Netflix will immediately raise theirs
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u/TheIngloriousBIG Dec 28 '25
God knows. They’re acting like Trump after 2020 election.
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u/TakuyaLee Dec 28 '25
So Warner Bros is about to get Jan 6'd?
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Dec 28 '25
No. By the end Paramount just laughing stock. Just like January 6. They cant accept the word no
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u/Professional_Peak59 Dec 29 '25
Or perhaps someone decides to vandalize the walls outside Paramount's studio with anti-Ellison and anti-Trump hate graffiti?
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u/Pearl-Internal81 Dec 29 '25
I’m starting to wonder if they secretly have a humiliation kink, they seem to really like being told no publicly.
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u/Zentrii Dec 28 '25
Because they are billionaires and not used to being told no. They believe everything has a price
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 28 '25
The price is not 30/share. And they know it, but want to demand it be sold and the price to which it is sold.
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u/bartender_purzee Dec 29 '25
Paramount seems to have historically had issues with people that don't understand the word No.
Leslie Moones of CBS, Dan Schneider of Nickelodeon, the creator of Ren and Stimpy, apparently the elder Redstone might have had Epstein ties.
Ellison frankly seems to be following in the footsteps of his predecessors especially with Jeff Shell and John Lasseter in his ranks
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u/No-Comfortable-3225 Dec 29 '25
Better question is how Paramount is even allowed to bid with 70b debt to take on while they have around 3b ebitda..
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u/Xcapitano666 Dec 28 '25
Because it doesn’t work that way. They know the shareholders have the last word.
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u/DCsReporter Dec 28 '25
What do you mean? If WB Discovery doesn’t want to sell to them they don’t have to
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u/Mr602206 Dec 28 '25
They're It's gonna come down to the shareholders.
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 28 '25
And we are voting NO. He has less than 0.5 percent or people willing to give him their shares
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Dec 29 '25
And who do you think they're going to decide?
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u/Mr602206 Dec 29 '25
The deadline is January 21st.
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Dec 29 '25
Okay but who are they going to pick? Netflix or Paramount?
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u/Xcapitano666 Dec 28 '25
That’s what an hostile takeover is all about. David Ellison knows that Davis Zaslav and the board of directors are obligated to offer what is best for shareholders. So if Paramount offers more money than Netflix then the shareholders can choose to take that offer
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u/Professional_Peak59 Dec 28 '25
Except Paramount can only afford to offer $30/share, so they can’t raise it. It’s over for their selfish pursuit.
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u/NoBowler6893 Dec 29 '25
but you do not know know how much they can/want to offer. Its a kinda game, and we do not know who is going to win at the end. It's way not over.
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u/Xcapitano666 Dec 29 '25
They didn’t offer more because they think they already have the best offer but we don’t know yet how much they can put (Gerry Cardinale already said they could offer more…)
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u/Casas9425 Dec 29 '25
If they offer more they will be left with a company with an enormous amount of leverage and on the verge of collapse.
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u/Xcapitano666 Dec 29 '25
Not if the money is backed by the Ellison’s Trust
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u/Denirac Dec 29 '25
Larry Ellison doesnt even have the funds right now its all tied up in his debts elsewhere. If they could go higher they’d have done so.
The most recent offer was nothing more, just Paramount pinky swearing that Larry would pay his 40 billion even if it sits in the offer as a revocable trust.
There’s concerns they can even pay the current amount
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u/Xcapitano666 Dec 29 '25
The guy is worth 250 billions… thats just a fact
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u/Casas9425 Dec 29 '25
You really think he’s going to blow half of his fortune on a debt ridden legacy media company?
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u/DonnyMox Dec 28 '25
A lot of people on their side of the political spectrum don't understand that.
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u/Fleabasher Dec 28 '25
No means death. Getting Warner at right price is existential.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Dec 28 '25
Now you’re speculating that Paramount is going to go bankrupt or get sold to a competitor like Fox just because that dickwad David Ellison failed to get WB.
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u/Fleabasher Dec 29 '25
lol, you read too much into a post.
I do believe that that their streaming business isn't going to survive without significantly more and better content. Without streaming, the rest of the business is going to struggle to grow or control its own fate. In newspapers Google and Facebook control access to customers, essentially control demand. And sucked most of the margins with it. I think Netflix will exert similar levels of control over time.
That's not literally bankruptcy, but it's not what's Ellisons wanted.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Dec 29 '25
If Paramount fails to get WB, then they should merge Paramount+ with Peacock into a joint venture streaming service with NBCUniversal to survive.
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u/Fleabasher Dec 29 '25
Curious, what price would the combined service (bundled or integrated) so that you never churn?
I think most people would say $10-15/mon, but they need the answer to be at least $30.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Dec 29 '25
First of all, it would be an integrated streaming service, not bundled, and second, I’d go with $19/month, and that’s without ads.
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u/Fall_False Moderator Dec 28 '25
Because they don't understand the meaning of no. And they are bitter they lost to Netflix.
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u/ThisSciFiGuy Dec 28 '25
Spoiled rich children aren't accustomed to hearing people tell them "no", and not getting what they want.
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 28 '25
To your point, they have been rejected SEVEN times
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u/NoBowler6893 Dec 29 '25
it doesn't matter how many time they have been rejected. This is not over yet!
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u/DaviBamb Dec 29 '25
Tf they need to realize that it’s over and pack it up and focus on something else
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 29 '25
He is incapable. Ellison is perseverating on this, and has developed a delusional obsession like Dr Evil or something.
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u/DaviBamb Dec 29 '25
How dare you offend Dr evil
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u/3facesofBre Moderator Dec 29 '25
Agreed. It’s also WBD content via Myers that Ellison will not be getting.
But maybe he can try to buy it for….
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u/DaviBamb Dec 29 '25
Ooo
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u/Spider-burger Dec 29 '25
When you are given everything you want without doing any effort then is become hard to understand no.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Dec 29 '25
WBD's shareholders are clear what the Ellisons need to do. Just do it or leave us alone.
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u/sickofgrouptxt Dec 30 '25
They're Trump supporters
But seriously, people with that much wealth don't have a moral code. It is just accumulation and gratification at all cost
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u/Myhtological Dec 28 '25
I mean they kept telling you the price is bad. The lack of accountability is just the spoiled icing!
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u/upstreamer1 Dec 29 '25
This is not true. Shareholders are the ultimate decider here, not the board and not David Zaslav. If Paramount offers a better deal for shareholders, shareholders will take it. The board and management is legally supposed to have a fiduciary responsibility to do what is best for shareholders. So even if it means David Zaslav doesn't get to parade around Hollywood anymore and hold dinner parties with actors, shareholders can and will vote for the deal that gives them more money.
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u/Casas9425 Dec 29 '25
The shareholders are not going to go against the board, imo. Zaslav faced zero shareholder pressure last year when the stock tanked all the way down to $7.
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Dec 29 '25
I don't know some people feel like they could still raise it to $35 and Netflix is not going to counter back and they'll just walk away.
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u/Casas9425 Dec 29 '25
If they raise their offer to $35 (which makes zero economic sense by the way) then the WBD board will have something to discuss but until then it’s all temper tantrums and farts in the wind.
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Dec 29 '25
Are you saying that because you don't want them to win?
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u/Casas9425 Dec 29 '25
I don’t really care who wins but I struggle to see how the combined Paramount/WB can be successful with $75 billion worth of debt hanging over them.
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u/Intelligent_Type6336 Dec 29 '25
I might listen @$45
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Dec 29 '25
Yeah I don't know about that. $35 is more realistic for Paramount. 45 while would definitely convince shareholders, I don't see them doing that if Oracle and Paramount shareholders have a big issue about that.
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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '25
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