Future of Paramount+ among merger talks

[Danja]

Paramount CEO David Ellison Addresses Top WBD Executives Amid Merger Process

Paramount CEO David Ellison, whose company is set to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, met with top WBD execs in Burbank.

deadline.com

A few people in the audience expressed enthusiasm for Ellison’s appearance.

“He leaned into theatrical more than when [Netflix Co-CEO] Ted Sarandos spoke to the executives back in December,” one insider said. “And he name-checked DC twice. He loves DC.”

The man is a total geek.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Paramount CEO David Ellison Addresses Top WBD Executives Amid Merger Process

Paramount CEO David Ellison, whose company is set to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, met with top WBD execs in Burbank.

deadline.com

The man is a total geek.

Did he bite the head off a chicken during the presentation?

 

[Firebird]

Paramount CEO David Ellison Addresses Top WBD Executives Amid Merger Process

Paramount CEO David Ellison, whose company is set to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, met with top WBD execs in Burbank.

deadline.com

The man is a total geek.

I’m not giving Ellison the benefit of the doubt because he can name a globally-known brand.

 

[fireproof78]

Did he bite the head off a chicken during the presentation?

Not lately.*




*That's a deep cut that I doubt anyone will recognize.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

I just cant in any good conscience in this day and age give any kind of trust to a billionaire.

 

[jamesteakirk]

My main concern about this deal isn't politics, it's debt.

Servicing that amount of debt means there's less money to produce content, and makes it harder to take risks.

They'll have 79B in outstanding bonds. At about 5.5% you'd have 4.3B in interest payments per year. That doesn't include principle payments.

Currently both companies combined are only producing 6.2B in profit discounting interest expense. They're going to have to cut costs significantly to give themselves a cushion.

Neither company's business is growing. Revenue has been flat for years.

Are you an accountant?

 

[Danja]

Are you an accountant?

It would be a mistake to underestimate David Ellison.

I have no doubt he is surrounding himself with expensive accountants, financial analysts, lawyers, and M&A specialists (the best Daddy's money can buy).

 

[johnjm22]

Are you an accountant?

Not an account, but the stock market is one of my hobbies, and I own a small business, so I'm looking at financial statements often.

It would be a mistake to underestimate David Ellison.

I have no doubt he is surrounding himself with expensive accountants, financial analysts, lawyers, and M&A specialists (the best Daddy's money can buy).

What makes you so confident in David Ellison?

Warner has a history of bad mergers with debt problems. Things never seem to work out as planned. Maybe this time will be different? I hope so.

 

[Danja]

Alex Kurtzman Knows Fans Are Worried About Star Trek's Future During 'Massive Transition,' But Has A Reassuring Message

We should all take this to heart.

www.yahoo.com

My understanding is they've been nothing but supportive. Noga and I have gotten nothing but support from them, so we'll see.

Not quite what the Fandom Menace wants to hear.

 

[oktay]

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arent the ellison family right wing trumpers

 

[oktay]

arent the ellison family right wing trumpers

Yeah, that’s right. Yesterday—was it SAG-AFTRA or the DGA? I don’t remember which one—but they were supposed to speak on behalf of one of them in court.

 

[eschaton]

arent the ellison family right wing trumpers

It's more complicated than that. Larry Ellison is a big-time Trumper, but his son David is not, as you can see by his donation history.

I think David is happy to use his father's connections with Trump to help along the mergers/smooth things out for the next three years. However, once Trump is out of office, I expect he'll quickly pivot the business to wherever he thinks he can make the most bank.

 

[Danja]

I think David is happy to use his father's connections with Trump to help along the mergers/smooth things out for the next three years. However, once Trump is out of office, I expect he'll quickly pivot the business to wherever he thinks he can make the most bank.

David will have his dad run interference for him (Larry Ellison has just moved to Palm Beach as a permanent resident. He now lives eighteen minutes from Trump.)

 

[Detached Nacelle]

I think David is happy to use his father's connections with Trump to help along the mergers/smooth things out for the next three years. However, once Trump is out of office, I expect he'll quickly pivot the business to wherever he thinks he can make the most bank.

Some things just can't be forgiven.

 

[Set Harth]

Like Section 31.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Like Section 31.

Yes the fact they never made a sequel film or a follow up series is indeed unforgivable.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Let's not forget the extreme right wing shift that CBS News has taken since Ellison has taken over. Or canceling Stephen Colbert. I've also read reports, that I can't seem to find either confirmation or denial of, that George Clooney turned down a substantial offer from Paramount due to the fact that they wanted him to not speak about politics for 2 years. Snopes doesn't seem to have any word on that in either direction.

 

[Rahul]

Giant corporations will never openly resist the people in power.

The same people that fired Colbert and sanewash every Trump tweet, will in three years either have rainbow flags again hanging at their doors, or do heroic ICE mockumentaries - completely depending on whichever ways the next elections & political climate will go.

But they will produce mostly the same content either way, just be more or less overt about it.

 

[oktay]

Why Antitrust Regulators Should Reject WBD-Paramount Merger: Column

Hollywood film financier Joseph Singer writes why he believes the proposed sale of Warner Bros Discovery to Paramount will be disastrous for the motion picture and television business.

deadline.com