Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday mentioned it should reopen deal talks with Paramount Skydance beneath a 7-day waiver from Netflix to discover “deficiencies” in Paramount’s supply to purchase the whole thing of WBD.
The legacy media firm has a pending transaction with Netflix for its streaming and studio companies. Paramount launched a hostile tender supply straight to WBD shareholders at $30 per share after shedding out to Netflix in a bidding battle.
“Netflix has supplied WBD a restricted waiver beneath the phrases of WBD’s merger settlement with Netflix, allowing WBD to interact in discussions with Paramount Skydance (“PSKY”) (NASDAQ: PSKY) for a seven-day interval ending on February 23, 2026 to hunt readability for WBD stockholders and supply PSKY the flexibility to make its greatest and ultimate supply,” Warner Bros. Discovery mentioned in a launch.
“Throughout this era, WBD will have interaction with PSKY to debate the deficiencies that stay unresolved and make clear sure phrases of PSKY’s proposed merger settlement,” it mentioned.
Paramount management has repeatedly mentioned its $30-per-share, all-cash supply isn’t its “greatest and ultimate.” Final week the corporate sweetened its supply with extra “enhancements,” however stopped in need of elevating the per-share worth.
Warner Bros. Discovery mentioned Tuesday {that a} senior Paramount consultant knowledgeable a WBD board member that it will pay $31 per share if deal talks had been to reopen.
After the restricted waiver interval, Netflix will retain its matching rights supplied by the merger settlement, WBD mentioned.
“All through the complete course of, our sole focus has been on maximizing worth and certainty for WBD shareholders,” mentioned WBD CEO David Zaslav in a press release. “Each step of the way in which, we now have supplied PSKY with clear course on the deficiencies of their presents and alternatives to handle them. We’re partaking with PSKY now to find out whether or not they can ship an actionable, binding proposal that gives superior worth and certainty for WBD shareholders via their greatest and ultimate supply.”
WBD additionally on Tuesday introduced a particular assembly of shareholders will likely be held on March 20 and mentioned its board continues to unanimously suggest the Netflix deal over Paramount’s supply.
Netflix mentioned in a press release the shareholder assembly date marked an “essential milestone for our transaction with WBD.”
“Whereas we’re assured that our transaction supplies superior worth and certainty, we acknowledge the continuing distraction for WBD stockholders and the broader leisure business brought on by PSKY’s antics,” Netflix mentioned. “Accordingly, we granted WBD a slim seven-day waiver of sure obligations beneath our merger settlement to permit them to interact with PSKY to totally and at last resolve this matter.”
Shares of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery had been every up roughly 3% in premarket buying and selling Tuesday.
