By Juan Markos
Los Angeles, (The Hollywood Times) 11/01/2025
Warner Bros. Discovery might be facing some serious challenges. This week, discussions have surfaced regarding a potential sale of the company and all its assets. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of major brands such as HBO, CNN, and iconic movie franchises like the DC Universe and Harry Potter. They officially confirmed they are open to potential offers.
Paramount Skydance made an initial offer of $60 billion, which Warner Bros. Discovery rejected as being too low. Recently, Paramount Skydance has been involved in various controversies, including freedom of speech issues, boycotts, and other mergers.
The potential sale highlights how quickly the media landscape is changing. If Paramount does not buy Warner Bros. Discovery, who will? Will it be Disney? In recent years, Disney has emerged as a strong contender, acquiring Fox, Hulu, and their subsidiaries. Netflix has indicated that they are not particularly interested in acquiring Warner Bros. as a whole, but they are in talks to potentially acquire HBO shows and movies, along with the studio that produces them, excluding the television network.
Traditional television networks have been losing audiences who are increasingly turning to big tech companies that have entered Hollywood. Some of these mergers have turned me off from many television programs. For instance, when Disney acquired Fox, they eliminated the Fox and FX streaming app that I had free access to through my cable provider, Spectrum, for which I pay over $120. I then had to subscribe to additional services like Hulu to continue watching my favorite shows, such as American Horror Story, The Simpsons, and 9-1-1. I have never subscribed to Netflix since their price increase to $21 a few years back, and I recently canceled my Hulu subscription after they announced plans to merge with Disney Plus.
So, what does this potential merger mean for streaming? Will HBO shut down its app and raise prices on another platform? I’m not a psychic, but I predict that Amazon may show interest in acquiring Warner Bros. and their intellectual property. This year, they have laid off thousands of employees. Although it was said that these layoffs were due to cultural reasons rather than financial ones, it’s possible they are shedding excess staff in preparation for a major purchase, which may come with millions, if not billions, in debt.
