Warner Bros. Discovery Eyeing Merger With Another A-List Iconic Movie Studio
The ink on the Warner Bros. merger with Discovery has barely dried, and the media conglomerate is already eyeing some fresh meat. Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav recently held talks with the brass at Paramount to discuss a possible merger between his companies. That’s good news for anyone writing Beavis and Butthead meets The Justice League fanfiction: your dream is now one step closer to reality.
Zaslav met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish on Tuesday to discuss a possible marriage between the Warner Bros. and Paramount brands. The CEO has also spoken to the owner of Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements, hinting that he may be interested in swallowing up the whole company rather than ordering Paramount on its own, ala carte. And make no mistake, Zaslav is the one holding the knife and fork.
Discussions took place at Paramount’s headquarters in Times Square, where the two execs discussed all the ways their companies could complement each other.
Warner Bros. Discovery currently has a market value of around $29 billion, versus Paramount’s paltry $10 billion. If anyone’s milkshake is getting drunk, it’s Paramount. Thank god Zaslav axed Batgirl to get some of that $90 million back. We couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would be for Warner Bros. to come to the bargaining table with only $28 billion and some change.
The meeting between Zaslav and Bakish lasted several hours, according to sources. Warner Bros.’ discussions took place at Paramount’s headquarters in Times Square, where the two execs discussed all the ways their companies could complement each other.
A Streaming Force To Be Reckoned With
For example, Max, formerly HBO Max, and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, formerly Paramount+, could combine into one streamer to rival Disney+ and Netflix. We can only assume this streaming service would be called Paramount Max with SHOWTIME+ or something similar.
Another way a Warner Bros. Paramount merger could create synergy between the two brands would be for CNN and CBS News to morph into a 24-hour global news superpower. You know, like when Jeff Goldblum combined his DNA with that fly.
Then, of course, there is all the crossover potential. A merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount would bring an unheard-of amount of IPs under the same roof. Not only does Warner Bros own DC, but also the entire Hanna-Barbera, New Line Cinema, and Turner Entertainment catalogs. Meanwhile, Paramount Global has everything Viacom owned—Nickelodeon, MTV, etc.—as well as Star Trek and several other lucrative franchises.
Despite this development being troubling from a dystopian, late-stage capitalism sort of way, it could be content gold for nerds everywhere. A Warner Bros. Paramount merger would allow Batman to visit the bridge of the USS Enterprise and shoot the breeze with Mr. Spock. It would mean that Ren and Stimpy could hang out with Yogi Bear.
Don’t act like you’ve never wanted to see Freddy Krueger take on the Rugrats!
A merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount would bring an unheard-of amount of IPs under the same roof.
These talks come a month after David Zaslav told investors that the company’s “cost-cutting measures and debt reduction,” AKA shelving finished products and pimping out all of their exclusive IPs to rivals like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to make a quick buck, has put the company in a position to “Allocate more capital toward growth opportunities.” In layman’s terms, they got rid of stuff so they could buy new stuff to replace it.
On the plus side, a merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount would mean that the Friday the 13th title and the character of Jason Voorhees would finally be owned by one entity for the first time in decades.
Source: Axios
