Recently merged Paramount Skydance hopes to expand even more, reportedly planning to submit a bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that a “majority cash bid” is currently in the process of being put together by Paramount Skydance. No formal bid has been submitted just yet, and the report emphasized that “plans could still fall apart.”
The possible proposal calls into question the planned split of Warner Bros. Discovery next year. The entertainment juggernaut said recently that it plans to divide into two separate companies by 2026, one focused on “Streaming & Studios,” with the other managing “Global Networks.”
Warner Bros. Discovery currently has the exclusive domestic broadcasting rights to AEW’s TV programming. Dynamite and Collision air on TBS and TNT, with both available via simulcast on HBO Max as well. A partnership between the two brands was extended further earlier this year, when it was announced that HBO Max would offer pay-per-view purchasing options for AEW events going forward as well.
An acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance, if it were to happen, would put AEW programming under the same roof as TKO-owned UFC, which recently reached a multi-year deal to broadcast all of its Fight Nights and numbered events with the company.
It was only weeks ago that David Ellison-owned Skydance finalized its merger with Paramount, an $8 billion deal which required approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) before going through.
