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Netflix pulls out of Warner Bros Discovery bid after Paramount offer

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Netflix pulls out of Warner Bros Discovery bid after Paramount offer

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav may have been counting on watching one last round in the Netflix vs. Paramount Skydance boxing match to acquire the media company he runs. What he might not have anticipated was that Netflix wouldn’t even bother re-entering the ring.

Thursday after the market close, WBD announced that Paramount Skydance’s last and best offer of $31 a share for its film studio, streaming platform and cable networks was superior to Netflix’s previously accepted bid of $27.75 a share for the studio and streaming assets.

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WBD’s declaration started a countdown clock: Netflix was granted four business days to match or beat Paramount’s new bid, but just an hour and 10 minutes later, Netflix left the arena.

NETFLIX BACKS OUT OF WARNER BROS BIDDING WAR AFTER PARAMOUNT MADE ‘SUPERIOR’ OFFER

ted sarandos netflix co-ceo

WBD said Paramount Skydance’s last and best offer of $31 a share for its film studio, streaming platform and cable networks was superior to Netflix’s previously accepted bid of $27.75 a share for the studio and streaming assets. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sa (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix / Getty Images)

In a joint statement, the streamer’s co-CEOs, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, said, “The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid.” 

Considering Sarandos’ tone in the final days of the process, the market should have been ready for the quick exit. In an interview Feb. 20 on FOX Business’ “Claman Countdown,” Sarandos, when pressed as to whether he’d match a potentially higher bid by Paramount Skydance, seemingly took a page out of former Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett’s “never overpay for an asset no matter how much you want it” playbook.

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The Netflix logo displayed on a building

Netflix was granted four business days to match or beat Paramount’s new bid, but just an hour and 10 minutes later, Netflix left the arena. (Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We’ve been very disciplined buyers in our careers. Our shareholders know us and they expect us to continue to do what we do, which is remain a disciplined buyer,” Sarandos told FBN.

Netflix shareholders have never fully embraced the merger since the official bidding process began Nov. 20. Since then, Netflix shares have shriveled more than 19%.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
NFLX NETFLIX INC. 84.61 +1.90 +2.30%
WBD WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY INC. 28.80 -0.10 -0.35%
PSKY PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE CORP. 11.18 +1.02 +10.04%

Much of the concern focused on whether the $82.7 billion dollar cost might shake Netflix’s solid balance sheet, and whether the deal would pass regulatory muster.

NETFLIX CO-CEO ACCUSES JAMES CAMERON OF SPREADING ‘MISINFORMATION’ ABOUT WARNER BROS. ACQUISITION

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An aerial view of the Warner Bros. logo displayed on the water tower at Warner Bros. Studio

Netflix shareholders have never fully embraced the merger since the official bidding process began November 20. (Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Thursday evening when WBD confirmed the superiority of Paramount’s bid, Netflix shares saw a relief rally, soaring nearly 10% in after-hours trade.

In its statement, Netflix’s co-CEOs intimated they agreed with shareholders.

“This transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” Sarandos and Peters said.

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MBIA Inc. (MBI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

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OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Operator

Welcome to the MBIA Inc. Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results Conference Call. I would now like to turn the call over to Greg Diamond, Managing Director of Investor and Media Relations at MBIA. Sir, please go ahead.

Greg Diamond
MD and Head of Investor & Media Relations

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Thank you, Chelsea, and welcome to our conference call for the full year 2025 MBIA Financial results. After the market closed yesterday, we issued and posted several items on our websites, including our financial results, 10-K, quarterly operating supplement and statutory financial statements for both MBIA Insurance Corporation and National Public Finance Guarantee Corporation. We also posted updates to the listings of our insurance company’s insurance portfolios. Regarding today’s call, please note that anything said on the call is qualified by the information provided by the company’s 10-K and other SEC filings as our company’s definitive disclosures are incorporated in those documents. We urge investors to read our 10-K as it contains our most current disclosures about the company and its financial and operating results.

The 10-K also contains information that may not be addressed on today’s call. The definitions and reconciliations of the non-GAAP terms included in our remarks today are also included in our 10-K as well as our financial results report and our quarterly operating supplement. The recorded replay of today’s call will become available approximately 2 hours after the end of the call. Now for our safe

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Saudi Aramco bringing shale gas revolution to Arabian Desert

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Saudi Aramco bringing shale gas revolution to Arabian Desert


Saudi Aramco bringing shale gas revolution to Arabian Desert

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Mondelez CEO worries high cocoa prices may return

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Mondelez CEO worries high cocoa prices may return

Company is investing in diversifying cocoa production around the world. 

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Revenues rise sharply at Leeds Building Society

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The building society said that it increased both savings and mortgage balances during 2025

Leeds Building Society says stress-testing requirements have unduly held some borrowers back.

Leeds Building Society has revisited its mortgage affordability assessments following guidance from the FCA.(Image: Taken from the Leeds Building Society image library. https://www.leedsbuildingsociety.co.uk/press/im)

Profits fell slightly at Leeds Building Society even as its revenues grew to nearly £800m.

The society’s annual reports show an increase in total income to £794 during 2025. But over the same period, net profit fell slightly to stand at £275.5m.

The society said it supported its members through favourable savings rates, which helped increase savings balances by £1.1bn year on year to £54.0bn. Mortgage balances also grew to £51.9bn, the annual report revealed.

Bosses said they were make progress on a number of strategic targets, including a record investment in technology and systems to improve speed of inbound payments.

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It said it was committed to its branch network and its role in local communities included an ongoing partnership with the charity FareShare, plus hosting Citizens Advice advisers at 44 of its branches to provide financial and legal advice.

Chief executive Susan Allen said: “Yorkshire Building Society delivered a solid performance for the year ending December 2025, growing our mortgage and savings balances sustainably and sharpening our Purpose, Real Help with Real Life, to set a clear path for the future.

“We continued to provide our members with above market average savings rates and went further to make good homes possible for more people. We launched targeted, innovative products to help overcome the challenges people face in finding a good home and building financial wellbeing. With economic challenges likely to remain in 2026, our renewed Purpose – and the support we offer our customers and communities as one of the UK’s biggest mutuals – matters more than ever.”

Looking ahead, the society said it would continue its focus on its strategic priorities, delivering competitive products and services for its members, and maintaining its financial strength.

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It said that it expected high levels of competition in mortgages and savings to persist but that it had “confidence in our business model and financial resilience and are well placed to navigate future challenges or periods of economic uncertainty.”

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Arhaus, Inc. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (NASDAQ:ARHS) 2026-02-27

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OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Q4: 2026-02-26 Earnings Summary

EPS of $0.11 beats by $0.02

 | Revenue of $364.85M (5.14% Y/Y) beats by $13.32M

This article was written by

Seeking Alpha’s transcripts team is responsible for the development of all of our transcript-related projects. We currently publish thousands of quarterly earnings calls per quarter on our site and are continuing to grow and expand our coverage. The purpose of this profile is to allow us to share with our readers new transcript-related developments. Thanks, SA Transcripts Team

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California Resources set to report earnings ahead of merger close

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California Resources set to report earnings ahead of merger close

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Sunstone Hotel Investors earnings beat by $0.04, revenue topped estimates

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Syensqo SA ADR 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (OTCMKTS:SYNSY) 2026-02-27

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OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

This article was written by

Seeking Alpha’s transcripts team is responsible for the development of all of our transcript-related projects. We currently publish thousands of quarterly earnings calls per quarter on our site and are continuing to grow and expand our coverage. The purpose of this profile is to allow us to share with our readers new transcript-related developments. Thanks, SA Transcripts Team

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J.M. Smucker raises Hostess impairment costs by almost $1 billion

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J.M. Smucker raises Hostess impairment costs by almost $1 billion

Sweet Baked Snacks long-term growth outlook cut to 2%.

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Writing on the wall for letter delivery in Australia

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Writing on the wall for letter delivery in Australia

Australia will eventually follow Denmark’s lead and abandon its letter service, with deliveries of handwritten notes, Christmas cards and household bills destined to become a thing of the past.

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