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Netflix’s Pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery Meets Higher Cash Bid and Intensifying Scrutiny

Investors look to Netflix’s Jan. 20 earnings call for clarity on financing, antitrust review, the rival cash bid, plus timing.

Overview

  • Netflix has proposed a cash‑and‑stock offer for Warner Bros. Discovery at $27.75 per share, valuing the assets at about $82.7 billion in enterprise value and conditioned on a networks spin‑off into Discovery Global targeted for 2026.
  • Paramount Skydance is preparing a competing all‑cash proposal of $30 per share for WBD, creating a contested process with different financing profiles.
  • Netflix shares are roughly 30% below 2025 highs following Q3 results and the acquisition news, reflecting heightened execution and regulatory risk.
  • Sell‑side reaction includes Pivotal cutting to Hold with a $105 target, Huber lowering to Underweight with a $92 target, Rosenblatt moving to Neutral at $105, Wolfe trimming its target to $121 while keeping Outperform, and Jefferies reducing its target to $134 with a Buy.
  • Regulatory and industry pushback is building, with guild concerns, reports of potential DOJ scrutiny focused on streaming competition, and Disney’s Bob Iger questioning the deal’s pricing power implications.