All-Stars Debate Paramount-WBD Future, Sarandos, Zaslav Legacy
🎙️ 🎙️ NEW POD: Puck all-stars @MattBelloni & @WilliamCohan debate David Ellison’s existential Paramount-WBD challenge, Ted Sarandos’ next play, and the legacy of David Zaslav… this is a fun one… Apple: https://t.co/FhmAiCfP7H Spotify: https://t.co/skJZmlCppk @PuckNews
Optimum CEO Urges FCC to Break up Local Media Triopolies
D.C. Memo: @Optimum CEO Pitches @FCC Chairman @BrendanCarrFCC on @NXSTMediaGroup/@TEGNA Merger Conditions. Dennis Mathew urges FCC leader to require 'divestiture of Big-4 triopolies in a local market' $NXST $TGNA | https://t.co/aAaKQ9Pivw
ZD Sells Unit to ACN for $1.2B Cash
$ZD with a $1.5B market cap sold a unit to $ACN for $1.2B cash this morning
Paramount's 25% CW Stake Equals CBS and Warner Combined
Fun fact: Paramount will now own 25% of the CW Network. CBS and Warner each held 12.5% stakes so...25%.
AI Data Centers Fuel Surge in Solar‑Storage M&A
Solar-plus-storage M&A heats up as AI data centers drive demand #energysky -- via pv magazine usa: https://t.co/0SfVszvIE9 https://t.co/gM7W0Ker2W
RedBird Reshapes Streaming Landscape with Major Studio Deals
Friday: RedBird helps Paramount pry Warner Bros. away from Netflix. Monday: RedBird helps Artists Equity ink major streaming deal with Netflix.
Jeff Shell Skips Paramount Brief on WBD Merger
Jeff Shell a No-Show as Paramount Brass Brief Wall St. on WBD Merger https://t.co/HsMvPz26yJ via @sportico @crupicrupicrupi
Murdoch Predicts Paramount-Warner Will Keep Third‑party Sales
Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch says he expects Paramount-Warner to continue to sell content to third parties and anticipates that will be a condition of the deal.
HSR Waiting Period Expired; U.S. Deal Can Close Today
David Ellison today: "As we've said, the HSR waiting period has expired. Obviously, domestically, which means that there is no reason if we had cleared globally why we couldn't close in the U.S. today legally."
Paramount's Secret Weapon to Overcome Warner Deal Hurdles
Out @Lmanfredi7 lays out the path for Paramount to clear the Warner deal- the hurdles and the company’s secret weapon.
Massive M&A Spree: Premium Deals Across Sectors
Today's M&A notes - $WBD to be acquired by $PSKY for $31.00, 147.2% premium, $110bn - $AES to be acquired by GIP / EQT / CalPERS / QIA for $15.00, 35.5% premium, $33.4bn - $ASCU.to to be acquired by $HBM.to for 0.242x shares,...
Paramount CEO: No Asset Sales if WBD Merger Proceeds
Paramount CEO David Ellison says no asset sales planned at this time if WBD deal goes through.
Paramount CEO's Forced Excitement Masks Warner Deal Hype
Paramount CEO David Ellison calls deal to acquire Warner, "a unique and thrilling moment." Alas he said it with the enthusiasm of a parking attendant telling you to head to the roof for a space. Pre-recordings never sound exciting.
Paramount to Merge Paramount+ with HBO Max
On investor call, Paramount confirms it plans to put P+ and HBO Max together, making one service from the two.
Charter's Mobile Surge Contrasts Home Internet Decline
.@charter is crushing it in mobile and bleeding in home internet. So Charter just hired the operator who made Frontier acquisition-ready. 🧵📉
Par‑WBD Forecasts $69B Revenue, $18B EBITDA
Combined Par-WBD estimated to have $69 billion in proforma revenue and $18 billion in EBITDA.
Ellison Sees Warner Deal as Next‑gen Media Catalyst
Paramount CEO David Ellison says deal with Warner is opportunity to help shape the future and build the next generation media and entertainment company.
Paramount Investor Call Initiates Warner Merger Discussions
Paramount investor call to discuss merger w Warner is about to begin.... $PARA $WBD https://t.co/fMPs2jSr2O
AES Bought for $10.7B Cash, Below Market Cap
🚨 UNDERTAKE 🚨 $AES to be acquired for $10.7B in CASH by a consortium (GIP, EQT, CalPERS, QIA). Friday’s market cap? $11.6B. Haven’t seen one like this in a while, bought out below where it was trading.
AES Deal Price Drops Below Market Closing High
Merger Monday…..AES Corp (AES) in deal for$15 per share …take under as it closed over $17 per share
Talon Takes Over Lundin’s Michigan Eagle Mine, Humboldt Mill
Talon acquires Lundin’s US Ni, Cu subsidiary, taking Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill in Michigan. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/talon-acquires-lundins-us-ni-cu.html
Toyota Raises TOB Price, yet Governance Remains Disappointing
Toyota Asset Preparatory Co announced it had lifted the TOB Price for Toyota Industries to from ¥18,800 to a best and final ¥20,600. Elliott agreed to tender. They made big money, but this is still a really disappointing outcome for...
L1 Group's Cost Cuts and Fund Surge Boost Appeal
A rare post about an Australian stock: L1 Group (L1G-ASX) which reverse-acquired my former employer last year, looks interesting. The stock is not optically cheap, but when you look at... 1. The run-rate cost savings (guiding to $30-$35m, ~75% of...
LBO Debt Market Faces $20B Nerve‑Testing Stress Test
The LBO debt market is freaking out. Here comes a $20B test of nerves https://t.co/MiXTnEB2pK
Sarandos Calls Paramount’s Offer Irrational, Fueled
Netflix Boss Ted Sarandos Speaks Out After Losing Warner Bros. Bid: Paramount Offers Were ‘Irrational,’ Relied on Political Pressure Because it’s ‘Cheaper to Make Noise’ https://t.co/lSMiTSgKnA
Netflix Quit Warner Bid After Paramount's Final Offer
Ted Sarandos says Netflix knew it would pull out of the Warner Bros bidding as soon as it saw the final Paramount offer. We spent 40 minutes on Saturday discussing why Netflix didn’t match and what the Paramount deal means...
Industry Complacency Fuels Ongoing Hollywood Consolidation
Want to know why consolidation keeps happening? People within industries just don’t see problems with it. A lot of the major Hollywood players are fine with the Paramount merger. https://t.co/lWXZRyUNqb
Monday Marks Final Day of Tender Offer
Re-upping this. Monday is the last day of the current tender offer. Maybe I'll put out an English version, but it's in my Cui Bono piece on Smartkarma last week.
10 Cash‑
. @Travis_Jamison is sharing his story of doing 10 acquisitions in cash-flow-positive, profitable lower middle market businesses, with some deals projected to have an IRR of 25% or more. The best part: he is only getting started. These last 10 deals...
Tender Offer Likely Post‑Sale, Potential 40‑80% Upside
Tender offer potentially followed by liquidation - After a major asset sale, a tender is likely in the coming months - While not official, signs point to a full sale or wind-down - Co divested all non-core and half of core assets - Expected...
KORE Deal Surprises: 85% Bid Jump, 100% Return
Expected a $KORE definitive agreement to be struck. Did not expect an 85% bump to the original $5/shr bid. Over 100% total return since Nov'25. Remaining spread to the $9.25/share bid is just ~3%. One of the most unexpected M&A outcomes I’ve...
Ellison Vows Unchanged DCU Creatives, Marketing Faces Shake‑up
Too early to tell, although #DavidEllison made a commitment to keep the creative heads of both WB and Paramount as they are, so if he keeps his promise, nothing changes to the #DCU or #DCStudios at least on the short...
Hollywood's $81B Takeover Sealed in Six Months
Six Months, 9 Offers and $81 Billion. How Hollywood’s Nasty Takeover Was Won. W/@jtoonkel @laurenthomas @davidamichaels https://t.co/TFOmN7A5Zq
David Ellison Secures $2.8B Warner Bros. Deal Over Netflix
Power, politics and a $2.8-billion payout: How Paramount's David Ellison topped Netflix to win Warner Bros. Discovery. @latimes https://t.co/6HgvA4tXeH
Paramount Wins Antitrust Battle, Faces Junk‑Debt Merger Challenge
"In a world in which antitrust has become a political weapon, Paramount had the upper hand. Its reward means it will now have to combine two companies whose debt is junk-rated and find a media business model that works." https://t.co/Lx1hXs4Ijz...
Record $7 B Reverse Break Fee Tops All Deals
We have a new record, folks. $PSKY's now friendly acquisition of $WBD comes with a $7 billion reverse break fee - the largest in history. https://t.co/GNoyWI0tl0
FCC Approves Merger of Charter and Cox
"The Federal Communications Commission has given the go ahead for two of the US' biggest cable providers, Charter Communications and Cox Communications, to merge." via @engadget https://t.co/2GF4W9NFlt
Paramount's Survival Hinges on Deal, Ellisons' Influence
There is always a chance when government is involved, never rule this out. But I still see the odds in #Paramount’s favor for 2 reasons: 1- the Ellisons are one of the richest and most well connected families in the U.S. 2-...
Paramount's Bold Move Beats Netflix, Secures Warner Bros.
‘David Ellison Scares the Shit Out of Me’: How Paramount Beat Out Netflix, Won Warner Bros. and Will Change Hollywood Forever https://t.co/Pt6DwlK7fc
Global Collaboration Chronicles Historic Deal Battle
Takes a global effort to tell one of the most incredible deal battles in modern history With @DanielThomasLDN @mroliverbarnes and Chris Grimes https://t.co/OfRP3RBlGV https://t.co/Wx8RaqAIv0
Warner Boards Unanimously Approve WBD‑PSKY Merger
Warner says in SEC filing that 'The boards of directors of WBD and PSKY have unanimously approved the Merger Agreement...'
Judge Andrews' Delay Feels Like Being the Last Pick
Waiting for Judge Andrews to make his $LQDA decision is like being the fat kid waiting to get picked only after the captains have picked everyone else first... https://t.co/LtzJmQ7O7t
Paramount Pays Netflix $2.8 B Breakup Fee for WBD Deal
Netflix Says Paramount Has Paid $2.8 Billion Breakup Fee for Warner Bros. Discovery Deal https://t.co/tPYGdECLW7
From Hollywood’s Most Hated to $790M Dealmaker
Three years ago, David Zaslav was called "the most hated man in Hollywood." Now he's pulled off one of the biggest deals in media history, engineering a bidding war that earned him $790.5 million. How it all happened, with @LaurenSHirsch: https://t.co/jaz2VIbdCe
Paramount Pays Netflix $2.8B Termination Fee for WBD Deal
Netflix, in SEC filing, says Paramount 'on behalf of WBD, paid the $2,800,000,000 termination fee owed to Netflix in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.'
David Ellison Secures Warner Bros Deal After Netflix Backs Out
Last Saturday, Netflix was the heavy favorite to buy Warner Bros. What changed? How did David Ellison pull it off? Why did Netflix back off? Behind the scenes of one of the biggest deals in business history with @MichelleF_Davis and @joshua_sisco...
JPMorgan, Not Stripe, Seen as Viable PayPal Buyer
.@ShenLucinda argues that Stripe isn't a logical buyer for PayPal. But JPMorgan may be. https://t.co/5mg3m05s44
Revenue Growth Trumps Profit as Companies Form Interlinked Borg
I take @sama point on circular dealmaking concerns -- that the revenue growth is key metric. And will leave profit concerns for another day. But also true that these companies are becoming something of a borg. If one goes down, it's...
Warner Execs Stunned by Paramount Deal, Consider Sale
Warner Town Hall: Management sounds shell shocked about the Paramount deal. Do they really want to sell? https://t.co/XWnrLMB7zM
Charter Ends DEI, Pushes Cox Merger and Onshoring
NEW Charter tells @BrendanCarrFCC that it ended DEI, as it continues to pursue its merger with Cox: https://t.co/s4uJ8LIA1d Charter also said it will do some onshoring: https://t.co/JqEELKcoU4 $CHTR