Business
Netflix to buy Warner Bros. film and streaming assets in $72 billion deal
Netflix announced Friday it’s reached a deal to buy pieces of Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing a swift end to a dramatic bidding process that saw Paramount Skydance and Comcast also vying for the legacy assets.
The transaction is comprised of cash and stock and is valued at $27.75 per WBD share, the companies said. That puts the equity value of the deal at $72 billion, with a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion.
Netflix will acquire Warner Bros.’ film studio and streaming service, HBO Max. Warner Bros. Discovery will move forward with its previously planned spinout of Discovery Global, which includes its massive portfolio of pay TV networks, such as TNT and CNN.
The blockbuster deal brings together the streaming giant Netflix, which has upended the media industry in recent years, and the storied Warner Bros. film studio, known for its library including “The Wizard of Oz,” the Harry Potter franchise and the DC comics universe. It will also include the content of HBO Max, including “The Sopranos” and “Game of Thrones.”
“I know some of you’re surprised that we’re making this acquisition, and I certainly understand why. Over the years, we have been known to be builders, not buyers,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on an investor call Friday morning.
“We already have incredible shows and movies and a great business model, and it’s working for talent, it’s working for consumers and it’s working for shareholders. This is a rare opportunity,” he said. “It’s going to help us achieve our mission to entertain the world and to bring people together through great stories.”
Netflix’s initial bid for WBD’s studio and streaming assets was for $27 a share, according to a person familiar with the matter. That trumped Paramount’s offer at the time and turned the trajectory of the sales talks in Netflix’s direction, said the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private.
The acquisition is expected to close after the TV networks separation takes place, now expected in the third quarter of 2026. The companies estimated the transaction would close in 12 to 18 months.
CNBC has reached out to Comcast and Paramount for comment.
As part of the deal, every Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder will receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in shares of Netflix common stock for each share of WBD common stock outstanding following the close of the deal.
Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery said each of their boards of directors unanimously approved the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval as well as approval of WBD shareholders.
Netflix has agreed to pay a $5.8 billion reverse break-up fee if the deal is not approved, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Warner Bros. Discovery would pay a $2.8 billion breakup fee if it decides to call off the deal to pursue a different merger.
Edging out Paramount
The merger could invite regulatory scrutiny given the size of the expansive streaming businesses for each company. Netflix said it surpassed 300 million global streaming subscribers at the end of 2024, the last time it publicly reported its customer count. Warner Bros. Discovery said it had 128 million global subscribers as of Sept. 30.
Paramount raised the potential for antitrust concerns earlier this week in a letter to Warner Bros. Discovery management as second-round bids came in, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The newly merged Paramount Skydance made its initial run at Warner Bros. Discovery in September, submitting three bids before WBD launched a formal sale process. The David Ellison-run company was the only suitor bidding for the entirety of WBD’s portfolio — the film studio, streaming business and TV networks.
Paramount’s final bid, received Thursday evening, was for $30 per share, all cash, people close to the matter told CNBC, speaking on the condition of anonymity about confidential dealings. Paramount’s offer included a $5 billion breakup fee if the transaction didn’t win regulatory approval after roughly 10 months, the people said.
Earlier this week, Paramount raised questions about the “fairness and adequacy” of the sale process, contending Warner Bros. Discovery favored Netflix.
“It has become increasingly clear, through media reporting and otherwise, that WBD appears to have abandoned the semblance and reality of a fair transaction process, thereby abdicating its duties to stockholders, and embarked on a myopic process with a predetermined outcome that favors a single bidder,” Paramount attorneys said in a letter to Warner Bros. Discovery management.
— CNBC’s David Faber, Kasey O’Brien and Laya Neelakandan contributed to this report.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.
It is unusual for a senior figure at the Bank to be so forthright on market movements.
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Consumer confidence has fallen for the third consecutive month amid household “jitters” over rapid price rises, figures show.
GfK’s long-running consumer confidence index fell four points to minus 25 in April, following falls of two points and three points in March and February respectively.
The deepening concern was driven by perceptions of the UK economy, with a six-point slide in confidence for the next 12 months to minus 43, its lowest level since February 2023.
Confidence in personal finances over the coming year fell five points to minus four – one point lower than this time last year.
The major purchase index – an indicator of confidence in buying big ticket items – held steady, albeit at minus 18 but one point better than last April.
The only measure to improve was the savings index – often an indication that households are concerned about their finances and looking to build contingency funds – which is up five points to 32.
Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, said: “Consumers really do have the jitters now.
“It is a year since we last saw a monthly drop of this size, and we have to go back to October 2023 to find the last time consumer confidence was lower.
“Everyone is grappling with rapid price rises, especially at the fuel pumps, which are taking a dent out of household budgets, and people know further price hikes are coming.
“Consumer confidence is deteriorating sharply, with fuel prices and threats of more energy price increases acting as constant reminders of inflation.
“While the Gulf crisis is intensifying pressures, much of the current strain reflects earlier domestic cost increases.
“How long can all this disruption and pain continue?”
People walk past a Nike store in New York City, on April 2, 2025.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
Nike announced a new round of layoffs Thursday affecting approximately 1,400 employees across the organization, mostly concentrated in its technology department.
In a note from COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy, the company said the layoffs were part of Nike’s broader “Win Now” turnaround strategy aiming to reshape its technology team, modernize its Air manufacturing, move some of its Converse Footwear operations and integrate its materials supply chain work into its footwear and apparel supply chain teams.
“Collectively, these changes will result in a reduction of approximately 1,400 roles in global operations, with the majority in technology,” Alagirisamy wrote. “These reductions are very hard for the teammates directly affected and for the teams around them, too.”
A Nike spokesperson said the layoffs are about better positioning the organization for the current pace of sports and accelerating its growth. The layoffs affect employees across North America, Asia and Europe and represent less than 2% of the company’s total global head count.
“This is not a new direction,” Alagirisamy wrote. “It is the next phase of the work already underway.”
Affected employees will be notified beginning Thursday, Nike added.
CEO Elliott Hill has been working to turn Nike around after years of slumping sales. While Hill has made some initial progress, it’s come with some bumps in the road.
Nike announced 775 job cuts in January, primarily at its U.S.-based distribution centers, due to the company’s work in accelerating its use of automation. At the time, the company said the cuts are part of Nike’s goal to return to “long-term, profitable growth.”
Those layoffs came on top of a round of cuts last summer that affected less than 1% of Nike’s corporate staff as part of the company’s efforts to realign the business.
In its third fiscal quarter earnings report last month, the retailer warned that sales will continue to fall for the rest of the year, primarily led by an anticipated 20% decline in China during the current quarter.
— CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this report.
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