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Paramount has launched a hostile takeover offer for Warner Bros Discovery, initiating a potentially bruising battle with rival bidder Netflix to buy the company behind HBO, CNN and a famed movie studio along with the power to reshape much of the nation's entertainment landscape. Emerging just days after top Warner managers agreed to Netflix's USD 72 billion purchase, the Paramount's Monday bid seeks to go over the heads of those leaders by appealing directly to Warner shareholders with more money -- USD 77.9 billion -- and a plan to buy all of Warner's business, including the cable business that Netflix does not want. Paramount said its decision to go hostile came after it made several earlier offers that Warner management "never engaged meaningfully" with following the company's October announcement that it was open to selling itself. In its appeal to shareholders, Paramount noted its offer also contains more cash than Netflix's bid -- USD 18 billion more -- and argued that it is .
The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) on Saturday raised its concerns over Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, saying that it poses a direct competition and economic threat to India's theatrical and broader film economy. The Acquisition of Warner Bros, one of the world's leading studios, by a dominant streaming platform that has historically deprioritised theatrical releases, poses a direct economic threat to India's broader film economy, MAI said in a statement. On Friday, Netflix said it has struck a deal with Warner Bros Discovery to buy the legacy Hollywood giant's studio and streaming business for USD 72 billion. The cash-and-stock deal also includes its namesake television and motion picture division, Warner owns HBO Max streaming services and DC Studios. The transaction is expected to close after Warner separates Discovery Global into a new, publicly traded company in the third quarter of 2026. MAI President Kamal Gianchandani said the Indian theatric
Netflix's deal to acquire Warner Bros, one of Hollywood's oldest movie studios, poses seismic shifts to the entertainment industry and the future of moviegoing. As one of the remaining big five studios, the 102-year-old Warner Bros is an essential part of movie theatre business. The studio currently boasts three of the top five earning films domestically, including A Minecraft Movie in first place, Superman and Sinners, as well as the Oscar frontrunner, One Battle After Another. There are more questions than answers about how ownership from a streaming giant would change things for Warner Bros. It's not even clear if it will pass antitrust scrutiny, or, if it does, what the details will look like. Here are some things to know, and lingering questions, in the wake of the news. Will Warner Bros. continue releasing movies in theatres? Yes, but it might change as well. For starters, it'll be at least 12 to 18 months before the deal officially goes through and moviegoers can expect ..