Netflix seeks to acquire Warner Bros
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, a few weeks after securing his position at the helm of the merged Paramount and Skydance studios, David Ellison now intends to simplify Hollywood’s equations. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Ellison has set his sights on Warner Discovery this time, aiming to push aside rivals such as HBO, CNN, and Warner Bros.
However, Warner Bros. Discovery is in the midst of complex changes, with its executives negotiating the separation of cable networks from streaming platforms and the studio division. The company carries $35 billion in debt and is valued at $41 billion.
Meanwhile, Pak News has reported that Netflix has made an offer to purchase Warner Bros. Until recently, such a scenario seemed far-fetched. Yet rumors suggest that Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s CEO—who was seen alongside David Zaslav at the Crawford vs. Álvarez fight in Las Vegas—is negotiating to buy one of Hollywood’s oldest filmmaking studios.
Nevertheless, the sale of Warner Bros. to Netflix may not have positive consequences for the film industry, unless the streaming giant agrees to release Warner’s future films in theaters. Netflix executives have repeatedly stressed that they are not in “the business of theatrical distribution,” suggesting that their ultimate goal could be to eliminate competitors committed to cinema releases.
This was precisely why Christopher Nolan ended his two-decade collaboration with Warner Bros. and moved to Universal. Even so, some filmmakers, including Greta Gerwig and Rian Johnson, have managed to persuade Netflix to agree to limited theatrical releases of their films.
