Overview
- Warner Bros. Discovery urged investors to reject Paramount Skydance’s $30‑per‑share, $108.4 billion cash tender, which remains open through Jan. 21.
- The board characterized the proposal as a leveraged buyout that could leave the company with about $87 billion of debt, raising the risk the transaction would not close.
- Accepting Paramount’s offer would trigger roughly $4.7 billion in immediate costs, including a $2.8 billion breakup fee to Netflix, a $1.5 billion debt‑exchange fee and about $350 million in added interest.
- Netflix’s binding agreement values the studios and streaming assets at about $82.7 billion, pays $23.25 per share in cash plus Netflix stock, and preserves a planned Discovery Global spin‑off as antitrust filings proceed with U.S. and EU authorities.
- Paramount’s bid covers all of WBD, including cable networks such as CNN, and added Larry Ellison’s $40.4 billion personal equity guarantee and a $5.8 billion reverse termination fee, which the board still deemed insufficient.