Although its offers have been rejected three times in recent weeks, Paramount Skydance is expected to continue trying to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
According to highly reliable sources and people familiar with the matter, Paramount CEO David Ellison wants to keep the creative teams of both studios as they are. The consolidation would take place on the marketing and distribution side. In Ellison's plan, the HBO Max streaming service would merge with the existing Paramount+ platform. The Last of Us and Star Trek under the same banner? Ellison believes that combining the offerings will allow more viewers to discover the work of film and television creators, while making Paramount+ more attractive to subscribers. The deal would thus see current series such as the various Star Trek spin-offs, NCIS, and the Taylor Sheridan universe alongside The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, and The White Lotus.
Target: 30 films per year in theaters££££
The report adds that there are no plans to sell or split the cable channels of the two groups, such as MTV or Turner Broadcasting (Warner Bros.). CBS News (Paramount) could even share some resources with CNN (Warner Bros.). A strong advocate of theatrical releases, Ellison is aiming for a pace of about thirty films per year for the combined network.
A twist worthy of a TV series that turns the tables and, if confirmed, would be a gigantic snub to the streaming platforms, also in the running to buy Warner. To be continued.
