Netflix won.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... db618&ei=8
Netflix wins WB bid war (but not anymore)
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
So far…lots of hurdles, including Larry Ellison complaining his bid didn’t get looked at to his buddy Chump…
Another sad day for Hollywood’s legacy.
Another sad day for Hollywood’s legacy.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
Netflix won, we lost.
It's not a final thing, though, as Ben stated. The government may yet intervene on monopoly grounds.
Even if this goes through, it's hard to say exactly what will happen. But I am not optimistic. All of these mergers are bad for the consumer, and they always result in job losses. And having a streamer in charge of a theatrical studio, with a competing streaming service, and home video divisions, all makes me very nervous.
It's not a final thing, though, as Ben stated. The government may yet intervene on monopoly grounds.
Even if this goes through, it's hard to say exactly what will happen. But I am not optimistic. All of these mergers are bad for the consumer, and they always result in job losses. And having a streamer in charge of a theatrical studio, with a competing streaming service, and home video divisions, all makes me very nervous.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
The next Archive sale, I’m picking up a good chunk of the more interesting curios that remain on my list. We don’t know if these titles will now just go OOP and then be chained behind a WB Classics tile on 'Flix forevermore…
One thing: everyone agrees that 'Flix has become the new "premium" DTV content provider, but the days of huge budgets are over and whereas it’s good that smaller and mid-range projects are getting a chance, it’s also clear that audiences are waking up to the fact that 'Flix has a LOT of stuff, but a LOT of it is filler and crap.
Buying WB gives it access to a LOT of VERY premium quality content, both from WB and the Turner title studios RKO and MGM specifically, which they are going to start to want to protect and not give away without subs. That’s their model. Sadly, it’s not going to be long before those budgets will come down and, IF they don’t stick with at least a limited theatrical model, for which they have infrastructure already in place, then WB just becomes a label on a tile, and meaningless.
They’ve just bought it for the "content" (ugh) and will serve it up in the way that has made them successful. Sadly, the audience doesn’t lose, because that’s what they "want", but someone has to pay, so unless they carry on with theatrical and/or home video, those subs will have to go up and up and up.
It really is a sad time for the movies in the traditional sense.
One thing: everyone agrees that 'Flix has become the new "premium" DTV content provider, but the days of huge budgets are over and whereas it’s good that smaller and mid-range projects are getting a chance, it’s also clear that audiences are waking up to the fact that 'Flix has a LOT of stuff, but a LOT of it is filler and crap.
Buying WB gives it access to a LOT of VERY premium quality content, both from WB and the Turner title studios RKO and MGM specifically, which they are going to start to want to protect and not give away without subs. That’s their model. Sadly, it’s not going to be long before those budgets will come down and, IF they don’t stick with at least a limited theatrical model, for which they have infrastructure already in place, then WB just becomes a label on a tile, and meaningless.
They’ve just bought it for the "content" (ugh) and will serve it up in the way that has made them successful. Sadly, the audience doesn’t lose, because that’s what they "want", but someone has to pay, so unless they carry on with theatrical and/or home video, those subs will have to go up and up and up.
It really is a sad time for the movies in the traditional sense.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
This is getting so weird. 2025 in a nutshell:
https://deadline.com/2025/12/paramount- ... 236642045/
https://deadline.com/2025/12/paramount- ... 236642045/
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
Go, Mountain, go! 
We next just need Paramount to finally combine with Universal, which they’ve been in an on/off relationship for decades, and for Disney to buy Columbia from Sony, and all will be right with the world for the foreseeable…
We next just need Paramount to finally combine with Universal, which they’ve been in an on/off relationship for decades, and for Disney to buy Columbia from Sony, and all will be right with the world for the foreseeable…
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
Yep, it ain't over! And there may be more twists and turns yet. I hate the idea of any further mergers, but it's fascinating to see things develop.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
Fun prediction:
Paramount “wins”, making the now combined company to be too big and without the right pockets to cushion a fail, leaving Netflix free to pick it up in five years anyway.
Paramount “wins”, making the now combined company to be too big and without the right pockets to cushion a fail, leaving Netflix free to pick it up in five years anyway.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war!
The infuriating thing is Paramount doesn’t even have an interest in their library. This is all about them wanting control over CNN.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war (but not anymore)
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war (but not anymore)
And there we are.
Whichever and whatever, it’s not good news, but was always going to happen one way or another, ever since the AOL debacle. Ah, that time when TimeWarner was both at its strongest and then suddenly most vulnerable. Zaslav absolutely decimated what was left (I recently had dinner with someone who knows him, and she confirmed he's bat**** cray-cray in meetings, hasn’t got a clue), so at least Warners is out of that frying pan, even if it’s in to another fire…
Would make for a great "ripped from the headlines" movie that the true Brothers Warner used to make back in their day!
20th Century-Fox, MGM, now Warners. Three of the original Big Five gone, if you don't include Paramount already, which at least has retained its name and lot. Columbia may be next, if Sony can’t keep someone’s fingers off it, though I personally wouldn’t mind seeing that go to Disney if it has to go anywhere.
Interesting times, if sad for movie legacies. Once these companies were the biggest, most valuable brands on the planet…
Whichever and whatever, it’s not good news, but was always going to happen one way or another, ever since the AOL debacle. Ah, that time when TimeWarner was both at its strongest and then suddenly most vulnerable. Zaslav absolutely decimated what was left (I recently had dinner with someone who knows him, and she confirmed he's bat**** cray-cray in meetings, hasn’t got a clue), so at least Warners is out of that frying pan, even if it’s in to another fire…
Would make for a great "ripped from the headlines" movie that the true Brothers Warner used to make back in their day!
20th Century-Fox, MGM, now Warners. Three of the original Big Five gone, if you don't include Paramount already, which at least has retained its name and lot. Columbia may be next, if Sony can’t keep someone’s fingers off it, though I personally wouldn’t mind seeing that go to Disney if it has to go anywhere.
Interesting times, if sad for movie legacies. Once these companies were the biggest, most valuable brands on the planet…
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war (but not anymore)
zaslab planned to sell wb from the start. Multiple insiders said it. That was always his plan.
So, the spoiled rich brat who will run paramount into the ground has wb and the child rapist in the white house gets cnn and wb is destroyed when it would have stayed as is with netflix. Half the workers will be fired and other half said if ellison wins they will quit when they would have kept their jobs with Netflix. Get ready for trump oked superman, harry potter and scooby movies and movies like wonder woman and sinners 2 will be gone. Trump hates gunn so he may be fired.
The child pred gets cnn just in time to rig the midterms. This is the worst nightmare everyone feared and it's all zaslab and the stockholders fought. WB never should have gone for sale to start with.
As for sony that's japan and japan gov tends to not let non japan companies buy japan companies so doubt any american movie studio can buy them anyway.
So, the spoiled rich brat who will run paramount into the ground has wb and the child rapist in the white house gets cnn and wb is destroyed when it would have stayed as is with netflix. Half the workers will be fired and other half said if ellison wins they will quit when they would have kept their jobs with Netflix. Get ready for trump oked superman, harry potter and scooby movies and movies like wonder woman and sinners 2 will be gone. Trump hates gunn so he may be fired.
The child pred gets cnn just in time to rig the midterms. This is the worst nightmare everyone feared and it's all zaslab and the stockholders fought. WB never should have gone for sale to start with.
As for sony that's japan and japan gov tends to not let non japan companies buy japan companies so doubt any american movie studio can buy them anyway.
Re: Netflix wins WB bid war (but not anymore)
There is hope. America and europe has to ok the deal. Child pred will ok it in america but europe can block the deal killing it. All hope is now in europes hands. We have a chance to stop it.
Edit--looks like they won't so we are all screwed.
Edit--looks like they won't so we are all screwed.