Paramount launches hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery at $30 per share, trying to upend Netflix deal
Paramount is taking its Warner Bros. Discovery purchase effort straight to shareholders.
The war to buy Warner Bros. Discovery may not be finished just yet. Paramount Skydance, which seemed like the runaway winner of the deal until late last month, has now launched a hostile takeover offer for the entertainment giant, hoping to stop Netflix in its tracks.
Paramount said Monday it has commenced an all-cash tender offer to buy WBD shares from existing shareholders at $30 each. It’s worth noting that the value is just $2.25 per share better than Netflix’s agreed-upon deal — but Paramount is seeking to buy all of WBD, not just its streaming and studio businesses like Netflix.
Warner values Netflix's offer at around $31 to $32 a share because Warner shareholders would also get several dollars of value out of the cable business that gets split off, The Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing people familiar with the matter.
“Despite Paramount submitting six proposals over the course of 12 weeks, WBD never engaged meaningfully with these proposals which we believe deliver the best outcome for WBD shareholders. Paramount has now taken its offer directly to WBD shareholders and its Board of Directors to ensure they have the opportunity to pursue this clearly superior alternative,” Paramount said in a statement.
While hostile takeovers are generally a long shot, this situation is a bit different as the move is an attempt to leapfrog a different takeover. Netflix is also facing a wall of opposition to its deal. President Trump over the weekend said the Netflix-WBD merger “could be a problem” and that he would speak to economists about it.
When asked in an interview Monday morning if the President was in his corner, Ellison said on CNBC: “What I would say is I'm incredibly grateful for the relationship I have with the president. And I also believe he believes in competition. And when you fundamentally look at the marketplace, allowing the No. 1 streaming service to combine with the No. 3 streaming service is anticompetitive.”
Shares of Paramount and Warner Bros. spiked in response to the news on Monday morning. Shortly after the open, Warner Bros. was trading at $27.80, still well below the tender offer’s price.
Shares of Netflix were recently down about 3%.
