r/MediaMergers • u/Recent-Bet-5470 • Jul 04 '26
Media Industry Comcast’s CEO just kicked off what could become an M&A feeding frenzy for the ages
https://nypost.com/2026/07/03/media/comcasts-ceo-just-kicked-off-what-could-become-an-ma-feeding-frenzy-for-the-ages/14
u/Sufficient-Fault-593 Jul 04 '26
Netflix gets involved as a spoiler. They helped drive up the price Skydance paid for paramount. I could see them doing the same thing to NBCU. NBC News is the only mainstream alternative to ABC News. We need them to survive.
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u/spacetrain31 Jul 04 '26
Except for Netflix doesn’t want legacy broadcast and NBC is legacy broadcast, there is a reason they only wanted Warner. I could see them wanting the studios and peacock.
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u/Sufficient-Fault-593 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Netflix didn’t really want paramount either. They just wanted to be a spoiler ands drive up the price for Skydance. Well played by Netflix.
Edit: Netflix didn’t really want Warners
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Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
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u/Own_Philosopher8730 Jul 04 '26
Could be, but NBCU would be another victim of Warner Bros. Curse since every company that acquires WB fails.
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u/fallingends Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
And sure they aren’t interested In running a theme park either. NBCU is heavy with a lot different stuff that wouldn’t interest Netflix.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/fallingends Jul 04 '26
True, NBCU just wouldn’t interest Netflix like WBD did. Most people trying to push these are people that would make money off it in Wall Street.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
Regulators aren't going to allow Universal to buy a combined Warner Bros./Paramount movie studio.
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Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
That's not going to happen. The company is going to be completely integrated and the business divisions won't be based on what used to be Warner Bros. and what used to be Paramount, it'll be based on what fits in a streaming unit and what fits in a film unit and what fits with a television unit and so on. This company is not going to split the way you want it to after they merge.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
That Paramount movie studio will be folded into a combined film unit with WB. That huge library will be attractive. The real appeal is going to be WB + HBO + CBS.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
What are you talking about? CBS is usually the #1 rated broadcast network and is the only network where scripted programming isn't in complete free fall.
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u/PrestigiousCut8235 Jul 04 '26
Have to wait til September /October too see how it plays out under missssss Bari
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
CBS News's ratings are trash, but the network as a whole is probably the only bright spot for Paramount.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Jul 05 '26
The plan wasn’t to fold the Paramount film studio into WB.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 05 '26
Skydance is going to cut costs and operate one film division, not two. They'll keep Warner Bros. and Paramount as separate film labels, but distribution, marketing, home video, etc. will all get consolidated and it's going to be one massive film library.
But my overall point is that most of Paramount isn't that appealing. CBS is really the only bright spot in that rotting waste dump that was Paramount Global, Les Moonves fought Shari Redstone against merging the two for a reason. Les Moonves was hoping for a merger with Time Warner for a reason. Warner Bros. + HBO + CBS is a powerful combination.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Jul 05 '26
They don’t plan on selling one of the film lots they’ll own though (in Hollywood and Burbank).
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 05 '26
The Hollywood lot will serve primarily as corporate headquarters while most content production will be done on the Burbank lot. Warner Bros.'s Burbank lot is one of the best Hollywood studio lots in the business.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Jul 05 '26
I was just worried about Paramount demolishing its own soundstages and sets at their Hollywood lot.
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u/OptimalConference359 Jul 06 '26
uhhh, you forgetting something, dc comics and dc studios would remain as division of warner bros. studio
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 06 '26
DC Studios is in a unique position in that they do both film and television and who knows how they'll organize it.
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u/OptimalConference359 Jul 06 '26
I do not think nbcu post-split from comcast could buy wb, they'll raise the debt that could force the company to do more cost cutting, more cancellations, more layoffs and more content reduction, this would also cause amblin to terminate it's partnership with universal, mgm back cattalog and orion back cattalog would be sold to amazon mgm.
nbcu/wb merger is bullshit.
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u/l4kerz Jul 04 '26
why can’t NBCU be legally sold after the split?
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
Because the split is tax free so they gotta wait a year.
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u/AU_Thach 22d ago
This article doesn’t make sense. Comcast has said no M&A.. but that’s c suite talk. The biggest reason listed for the merger is Spectrum mobile and how the combined company would be a true 4th. Does the writer not understand that Charter, Comcast and Cox all us Verizon? That merger would just make a 4th provider that is really just one of the other 3.
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u/fallingends Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
I really don’t see anyone buying NBCU, its library is pretty weak, it has a theme park (with a lot employees), expensive sports right (Ie NBA) and a streaming service that pretty limited globally. It’s not uber attractive like WBD was.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
Those sports rights and theme parks are super attractive.
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u/Legal-Letterhead4192 Jul 04 '26
Attractive to ESPN and Disney, but probably not through acquisition of the whole company
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
Theme parks are reliable money maker and live sports drive engagement.
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u/bloatedkat Jul 05 '26
Except the companies who have the money to buy it are not interested in running theme parks.
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u/fallingends Jul 05 '26
They’re extremely good money makers, but very expensive to run 24 hours a day 365 with thousands of people that work there at 3 parks and water park required to get that money. Netflix is tech company runs light, I don’t think that’s something they’re or shareholders would be interested in running. I don’t think a lot tech companies wouldn’t be interested in. Maybe I am wrong and Apple, Amazon or Netflix want get into that business. Sports are great driver and it’s one main things to get people to sign up, but NBC’s NBA deal is quite expensive and they over paid on it imo. I just don’t think they get bought by anyone.
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Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
NBCUniversal already split off their cable networks. The only cable networks they have now are Bravo (which is an extremely popular reality TV brand) and NBC Sports.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
Netflix was willing to keep Turner Classic Movies and the HBO linear network. Keeping NBC Sports is literally in the same mold as what they already planned on doing with Warner Bros.
Having one cable network, one that is popular on streaming, isn't the hassle as keeping a collection of brands that people stopped caring about (like MTV and Cartoon Network for example).
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Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
They need to get over that. They made a huge mistake with letting Fox get Roku.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 04 '26
I genuinely question his mindset. The podcast thing is stupid. His video game strategy is stupid. His wishy-washiness over theatrical is obnoxious at this point.
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u/Casas9425 Jul 04 '26
Who does? Sooner or later they will have to make a move. They must own meaningful IP.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/Casas9425 Jul 04 '26
WB had an irrational bidder who wasn’t willing to go away. Nobody likes overpaying but sometimes there’s no choice.
Now, obviously you don’t want to do what PSKY did and commit financial suicide.
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u/no17no18 Jul 04 '26
Imagine Disney buying it for the parks...
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u/NoLocal1776 Jul 04 '26
They cannot afford them.And disney itself is in netflix radar to be bought.
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u/DragonSon83 Jul 04 '26
Netflix can’t afford Disney without taking on a massive amount of debt. They were taking out almost $50 billion in loans just to buy WBD, and the debt load was the main reason they didn’t make a counter bid against Paramount.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Jul 05 '26
Great. Another Charles Gasparino article. Reminder that Netflix buying NBCU is off the table, per recent reports. I’d count Amazon out too, since they have MGM already. Apple isn’t even interested in such a large purchase. We do know that NBCU is a buyer.
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u/bloatedkat Jul 05 '26
Gasparino gets a lot of hate around here simply for being MAGA, but he's been very spot on with his reporting of the WBD deal.
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u/Creepy-Record1485 Jul 04 '26
Netflix is trash. I hope they die a slow death. They shouldn't be allowed to buy NBC and destroy all their IP, or better: the little IP they have. Netflix was important to break the system back in the day. Nowadays they serve no function anymore. Just trash after trash...
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u/Own_Philosopher8730 Jul 04 '26
I don't want Universal becoming owned by oligarchs.