As noted before, Warner Bros Discovery has been seeking a sale of their company that initially resulted in Netflix being announced as having the winning bid for it. Paramount Skydance launching a hostile takeover bid to acquire WBD in response this past December and later gave a new enhanced “superior” offer earlier this month in their latest attempt to prevent the sale of WBD to Netflix and acquire the company themselves. WBD had announced earlier this week that Paramount now had the superior bid and Netflix declined to raise their offer in response. WBD is the current media broadcast partner of AEW.
Paramount released an official press release on Friday officially announcing their acquisition deal for WBD.
It was also announced that they will be merging with WBD to form a new “next-generation global media and entertainment company.”
It was also announced that the company will be holding a conference call on March 2nd to discuss the acquisition.
PARAMOUNT TO ACQUIRE WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY TO FORM NEXT-GENERATION GLOBAL MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY
* The newly merged company will be well positioned to compete in the rapidly evolving entertainment industry where storytelling combined with world class technology expertise will be an important driver of value creation across the ecosystem and for shareholders
* Investing in the world-class studios of Paramount and WBD, focusing on attracting and retaining the industry’s leading creative talent while expanding the supply of high-quality content for both the combined company’s platforms and third-party distribution platforms
* Driving long-term growth by investing in and expanding our DTC business, powered by our combined world-class storytelling to reach more audiences and compete effectively with leading streaming services
Committed to producing a minimum of 30 theatrical films annually, delivering exceptional entertainment to audiences and driving long-term job growth across the film and creative industries
* Paramount issuing $47 billion of new Class B shares at $16.02 per share, supported by a fully committed investment from the Ellison Family and RedBird Capital Partners
* Transaction values WBD at enterprise value of $110 billion, representing a multiple of 7.5x on fully synergized 2026 EBITDALOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ: PSKY) (“Paramount”) and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBD) (“WBD”) today announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Paramount will acquire WBD, forming a premier global media and entertainment company focused on expanding consumer choice and empowering creative talent worldwide.
Under the terms of the agreement, Paramount will pay $31.00 per share in cash for all outstanding shares of WBD. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close in Q3 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances and approval by WBD shareholders, with a vote expected in the early spring of 2026. In the event the transaction has not closed by September 30, 2026, WBD shareholders will receive a $0.25 per share “ticking fee” for each quarter (measured daily) until closing.
The merger unlocks innovative and compelling storytelling opportunities across the combined company’s best-in-class film and television studios, streaming and linear platforms. Together, Paramount and WBD will deliver greater choice for consumers through its leading streaming platforms with an exceptional intellectual property portfolio that has produced popular franchises such as Game of Thrones, Mission Impossible, Harry Potter, Top Gun, the DC Universe and SpongeBob SquarePants
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, said: “From the very beginning, our pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery has been guided by a clear purpose: to honor the legacy of two iconic companies while accelerating our vision of building a next-generation media and entertainment company. By bringing together these world-class studios, our complementary streaming platforms, and the extraordinary talent behind them, we will create even greater value for audiences, partners and shareholders — and we couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead.”
David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery said: “I’m very pleased with the outcome we achieved for WBD shareholders and the entertainment industry. Our guiding principle throughout this process has been to secure a transaction that maximizes the value of our iconic assets and our century-old studio while delivering as much certainty as possible for our investors. We look forward to working with Paramount to complete this historic transaction.”
Strategic and Financial Benefits of a Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
* Hollywood Champion: We will invest in expanding the creative engines at the core of both WBD and Paramount. We will maintain both studios while prioritizing the attraction and retention of world-class creative talent, strengthening our ability to deliver a broad pipeline of high-quality content, including 15 theatrical feature films per year per studio, for our combined platforms and third-party distribution partners.
* Establishes a Global Streaming Competitor: By uniting the strengths of Paramount and WBD, we will create a premier direct-to-consumer platform with enhanced reach, engagement, and monetization capabilities – positioning the combined company to increase competition while accelerating subscriber growth, deepening engagement, and driving significant long-term profitability.
* Pro-Competition: The combination of Paramount+, HBO Max and Pluto creates a highly competitive DTC business that expands both consumer choice and opportunities for creative talent and labor. The deal will deliver compelling value for both content suppliers and consumers – establishing another strong, credible competitor in today’s streaming marketplace.
* Transaction Supports a Competitive Theatrical and Content Distribution Ecosystem:
* Every film will receive a full theatrical release, with a minimum 45-day window globally before becoming available on paid video-on-demand (VOD), with the intention of 60-90 days or more to maximize the audience for our most successful releases.
* Both studios will continue to support a vibrant third-party ecosystem by licensing their films and shows across their own and third-party platforms, while remaining active buyers of content from third-party studios and independent producers.
* Following its theatrical run, each film will transition to the current industry standard home video window, preserving paid video-on-demand prior to availability on subscription streaming services.
Paramount will continue to adhere to specific windowing regimes in geographies it operates in, including in France where Paramount maintains its windowing commitments.
* A Compelling Portfolio of IP and Content: The combined company will own a film library of more than 15,000 titles and thousands of hours of television programming. It will be home to many of the world’s most iconic and enduring franchises, including Harry Potter, Mission Impossible, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Star Trek and SpongeBob SquarePants.
* Broad Sports Rights Portfolio: The merged company will hold one of the industry’s most compelling and competitive portfolios of sports rights, including: the NFL, Olympics, UFC, PGA Tour, NHL, Big Ten and Big 12 Football, NCAA College Basketball, and Champions League, with the ability to distribute these rights collectively across all of our platforms, thereby giving sports fans easier access to more of the content they want in one place.
* Stronger Linear Networks: A complementary portfolio of cable networks spanning entertainment, sports and news will significantly improve cash flow, unlock efficiencies, and strengthen our ability to manage linear market pressures. It also creates a more compelling, unified platform for advertisers through integrated cross-channel sales and activation opportunities.
* Diverse International Portfolio: A presence in over 200 countries and territories, including cable and free-to-air networks, that will provide more opportunities for world class storytelling – including local production – to be seen globally and allow us to continue to serve local audiences around the world with the best stories across TV, film, sports, and news.
* Technology to Create Stronger Infrastructure Backbone and Improved User Interface: By streamlining the technological underpinning of every aspect of the combined company’s businesses, we will improve the user experience, generate financial and operating efficiencies and eliminate redundancies.
* Well-Positioned to Invest in Growth: The pro forma balance sheet and cash flow will enable continued investment in growth initiatives, as demonstrated by the marquee deals announced by Paramount since the close of the Skydance merger, including: Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park, the UFC, the Duffer Brothers and Activision, among others. The combined company’s resources and backing of Paramount’s committed investors will support increased investment in content generation, reinvigorating the media industry and enhancing competition to the benefit of talent and labor.Transaction Highlights
Paramount will acquire 100% of WBD for $31 per share in cash, plus the “ticking fee”, valuing WBD at $81 billion in equity value and $110 billion in enterprise value. Paramount expects that the acquisition will yield over $6 billion in synergies, which are driven by a combination of: technology integration (such as migrating the combined company to a single enterprise resource planning system and consolidating streaming technology stacks), corporate-wide efficiencies, including procurement savings, optimizing the combined real estate footprint, and otherwise streamlining operational efficiencies.
On a fully synergized basis, this values WBD at 7.5x 2026 EBITDA. At closing, we expect to have a net debt-to-EBITDA of 4.3x on a synergized basis, with a clear path to investment grade credit metrics within three years of closing.
The transaction is funded by $47 billion in equity, fully backed by the Ellison Family and RedBird Capital Partners. At closing, the equity may include other strategic and financial partners. Under the terms of the equity commitments, new shares of Class B Paramount stock will be issued at a price of $16.02 per share. The terms of this equity investment were decided by a Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Paramount comprised of independent directors with independent legal and financial advisors. In addition to the new cash equity investment, the transaction is backed by $54 billion of debt commitments from Bank of America, Citigroup, and Apollo, which includes $15 billion to backstop WBD’s existing bridge facility and $39 billion of incremental new debt. The $54 billion excludes $3.5 billion of bridge financing from these institutions to backstop our existing $3.5 billion revolving credit facility.
In addition, existing Paramount stockholders will have the opportunity to participate in a rights offering of up to $3.25 billion of Class B Paramount stock alongside the new equity investment, which is expected to occur nearer the closing date, at a price of $16.02 per share.
The proposed transaction between Paramount and WBD is not subject to any financing conditions.
In connection with the entry into the merger agreement, Paramount has terminated its all-cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of WBD.
Centerview Partners LLC and RedBird Advisors are acting as lead financial advisors to Paramount, and Bank of America Securities, Citi, M. Klein & Company and LionTree Advisors are also acting as financial advisors. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP are acting as legal counsel to Paramount. Latham & Watkins LLP is also acting as legal counsel to the investor consortium, including the Ellison Family.
Allen & Company, J.P. Morgan and Evercore are serving as financial advisors to WBD and Wachtell Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP are serving as legal counsel.
Barclays Capital are acting as financial advisors to the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Paramount and Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP are serving as legal counsel.
Conference Call and Webcast
Paramount will conduct a conference call and webcast on Monday, March 2 at 8:30am ET to discuss its merger agreement with WBD. The webcast link and dial-in information will be made available on Paramount’s Investor Relations homepage at ir.paramount.com prior to the call. An audio replay of the call will be available in the Events and Webcasts section of Paramount’s Investors homepage.
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