PLEASE GOD LET THIS HAPPEN

Nolan can’t escape

I think so, but Discovery end up getting WB and inherited the debt in return.

hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-sale-odds-buyers-1236421920

cnbc.com/2025/11/05/warner-bros-discovery-wbd-sale-split-plans-deadline.html

semafor.com/article/11/09/2025/warner-bros-discoverys-zaslav-meets-with-comcast-executives-as-bidding-war-ramps-up

The News

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Comcast executives last week as a closely watched Hollywood bidding war for the film and television giant heats up.

Zaslav, who last month publicly hung a for-sale sign on an empire that includes the historic Warner Bros. studio, HBO, and CNN, met with Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, people familiar with the matter said. Specific details of conversations remain unclear, but the meeting suggests that Comcast feels that there is still a path forward for a deal, in spite of concerns — aired in the press — about the likelihood of regulatory troubles in the US.

Paramount has been bidding since October for WBD, a transaction that would elevate David Ellison’s nascent media empire into a Hollywood force that could not be easily ignored by tech competitors and Wall Street. It would fuse Paramount’s film and streaming assets with the storied Warner Bros. content library and a streaming titan in HBO. Comcast’s Mike Cavanagh, who will become co-CEO with Roberts in January, told investors on last quarter’s earnings call that the bar is high for major M&A but that the company would have more room to maneuver once it completes the spinoff of most of its cable channels into a new company early next year.

Reuters reported Thursday that Comcast had hired bankers from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to sort through a potential bid for some of WBD’s assets.

Spokespeople for WBD and Comcast declined to comment.

Know More

Comcast is seen as a longer-shot buyer. It’s interested in only pieces of WBD, rather than the entire company, and would need approval from President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of both Comcast’s journalism and its diversity policies.

Comcast has tried to improve its image on the right. It has donated to Trump’s forthcoming White House ballroom and rebranded MSNBC as MS NOW, a move that puts some distance between the liberal cable network and the more down-the-middle NBC News brand.

Paramount has close ties to the White House through Ellison’s father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison. But that same closeness to Trump could prove a disadvantage in Europe, where antitrust regulators hold a dim view of American technology giants and are keenly focused on media consolidation. Warner possesses valuable European sports rights that would require government approvals to sell.

nigga comcast?

cmon

Paramount is aligned with Trump so that’s a no for me

Netflix isn’t interested in wide theatrical windows so that’s a no

The plus side of Comcast is that they have theme parks lmao

I’d rather WB not sell but it is what it is

yeah. shame they can't or wont continue...

the thought of not seeing the Warners logo before some classics is heartbreaking.

will this mean the wiley coyote movie gets made, or whatever it is

It’s already been shot and the distribution was sold to Ketchup Entertainment for release next year. That should be coming out with no issue

released? it is, i think?

yeah i looked it up and i see that now woops

what's the biggest implication of this sale/merger if it goes through, iyo?

yeah i looked it up and i see that now woops

what's the biggest implication of this sale/merger if it goes through, iyo?

honestly i dont know enough. should read into it more but --

i'm hurting from a purely nostalgic angle

like i was THERE for the greened out logo in the theater as The Matrix begins. i can feel that moment.

Biggest implication is consolidation.

Depending on who buys it, you can kiss HBO goodbye (I personally think Comcast would keep it and kill Peacock but that's not a guarantee)

Overall, less movies will be made. Of those that will be made, IP will be king.

DC, horror IP, Harry Potter, stuff like that will still come out. What we might lose are the smaller low to mid budget original productions coming out as frequently. This year WB had great mid budget wins with Sinners, Weapons, Companion, etc.

Obviously there's going to be mass layoffs among other things.

One contender who says they're out but I would think could actually be a solid buyer would be Apple.

Yes, they have their own service and content but in comparison of total breadth, they're smaller. And they don't have a theatrical distribution or physical media arm so WB could act as that for them.

The only good movie company left smh

Praying Netflix or Disney don't get it

really needed to be Apple. Didnt realize they were officially out

Why is this good?

Also general question, is there any scenario that someone buys WBD and it bodes well for HBO? Am scared that it will be the end of the GOAT

It’s the best option currently available based on who’s interested.

Universal is still all in on theatrical and physical media distribution. They’re filmmaker friendly. And most importantly (not really but it’s a good feather in their cap) they have theme parks. I’m thinking of actual good DC rides at Universal. That’s kind of a selfish point there lmao

The sad fact is I’m starting to think it’s going to be paramount and that’s another nightmare scenario so that’s great

WELP the other shoe just f***ing dropped with Comcast

They might go in with the Saudis

were COOKEDT

this is how I win

There are rumors that Apollo and/or Blackrock might insert themselves in the mix. At that point, I rather either WB pump fake again while trying to avoid a hostile takeover from Paramount or them selling to Comcast.