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Paramount guarantees Larry Ellison backing in amended WBD bid

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Paramount guarantees Larry Ellison backing in amended WBD bid


US film producer David Ellison arrives for Paramount’s “Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts” premiere in New York City on June 5, 2023.

Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images

Paramount Skydance on Monday guaranteed the backing of billionaire Larry Ellison in an amended offer for Warner Bros. Discovery — a clear response to questions raised by the WBD board of directors.

“Larry Ellison has agreed to provide an irrevocable personal guarantee of $40.4 billion of the equity financing for the offer and any damages claims against Paramount,” the company said in a news release.

Paramount said Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, has also agreed not to revoke the Ellison family trust or adversely transfer its assets during a pending transaction. The guarantee does not replace committed funds from RedBird Capital and sovereign wealth funds, but constitutes a new layer of security for the commitments.

Paramount Skydance is offering $30 per share, all cash, for Warner Bros. Discovery in a hostile attempt that’s meant to rival an agreement with Netflix.

Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery Chairman Samuel Di Piazza told CNBC’s David Faber the board had concerns about the supposed backing of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in the bid.

“We were not confident that one of the richest people in the world would be there at closing,” Di Piazza said at the time. “Doing a deal is great; closing a deal is better.”

WBD earlier this month agreed to sell its studio and streaming assets to Netflix in a transaction valued at roughly $83 billion on an enterprise basis. Paramount wants to buy the entirety of WBD, including its portfolio of TV networks, and says its offer comes with an enterprise value of $108.4 billion.

Paramount notably did not increase its bid on Monday, reiterating that it believes the deal is superior, though Paramount did hike its proposed reverse breakup fee to match that of Netflix’s offer.

WBD confirmed receipt of the amended offer on Monday and said in a release it would “carefully review and consider Paramount Skydance’s offer in accordance with the terms of Warner Bros. Discovery’s agreement with Netflix.”

“What we’ve done in this amended filing is we’ve cleared the brush of obfuscation around the offer,” said Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday.

RedBird is an investor in Paramount Skydance and has also committed to financing the proposed Paramount acquisition of WBD.

Cardinale said Monday that as part of the amended filing Larry Ellison would back the bid through an irrevocable trust, which is anchored by 1.2 billion Oracle shares.

“Like we’ve done through the six bids that we’ve made, we are being responsive to what their concerns are,” Cardinale said.

Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery rose 3% in early trading Monday, while Paramount gained more than 7%. Netflix’s stock was down nearly 1%.

Paramount vs. Netflix

Paramount made three offers for WBD in the fall, which were all rejected by the company. WBD then launched a formal sale process that brought in offers from other bidders, including Netflix.

Cardinale said Paramount’s unsolicited offers likely spurred WBD to open up to a sale, putting Paramount “a little bit on the back foot.”

During Monday’s CNBC interview Cardinale, like Ellison on CNBC last week, appealed directly to WBD shareholders.

“At the end of the day … the shareholders own this company. The board doesn’t own it. [CEO] David Zaslav doesn’t own this company,” said Cardinale. “This should be a lot more simple than it is. It’s very simple.”

Besides the question of value between the two bids, the question of regulatory approval has also been raised by Paramount as well as industry onlookers.

“The Netflix deal kills competition,” Cardinale said, adding that a combination of streaming platforms Netflix and HBO Max would create 420 million subscribers under one roof. “No wonder the constituents in the ecosystem — talent, creators, theatrical exhibitors — are losing their minds on this because they see the pricing power that they will create.”

Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters have said they are confident their deal would pass regulatory muster. Sarandos has also issued reassurances about the future of the theatrical slate for WBD under Netflix’s ownership.

At a conference earlier in December, Sarandos argued the Netflix offer for WBD’s assets would preserve jobs at a time of mounting layoffs across the industry.



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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p

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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p



Motorists are facing higher fuel prices ahead of Easter break due to the conflict in the Middle East, the RAC says.



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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India

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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India


Hyderabad: Pharma player Hetero on Friday said it has rolled out exports of its generic semaglutide injection portfolio as part of a multi-year plan to widen access to treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity in more than 75 countries.The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said initial rollouts are under way in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with additional launches planned in other markets subject to regulatory approvals.The injectable therapies will be sold under the brand names Truglyx, Rolmodl and Moto G. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, which are used in diabetes care and weight management.Hetero said the export launch is part of its broader strategy to improve access to advanced cardio-metabolic therapies, particularly in emerging markets.The company said the products will be offered in multi-dose disposable pen devices designed in line with innovator formats and will be available in several strengths, including 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, allowing dosing flexibility for both diabetes and obesity treatment.Hetero said it is also awaiting approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after completing clinical trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity and plans an India launch after regulatory clearance.Hetero managing director Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi said the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable generic semaglutide through a single global product platform backed by its manufacturing and development capabilities.He said Hetero would use its commercial networks across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to support supply and access. The Hyderabad-headquartered Hetero operates in more than 145 countries and employs over 30,000 people.



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India-US trade deal update: Piyush Goyal meets USTR Jamieson Greer, discusses next steps in BTA talks – The Times of India

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India-US trade deal update: Piyush Goyal meets USTR Jamieson Greer, discusses next steps in BTA talks – The Times of India


Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Friday met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and reviewed the next steps in negotiations for the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA).The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 14th ministerial conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation in Yaounde, Cameroon, where both sides also exchanged views on issues related to the WTO agenda.“Had a very productive discussion with @USTradeRep Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial Conference. Exchanged views on the #WTOMC14 agenda, next steps in the India-US BTA negotiations and explored ways to further deepen our economic cooperation and bilateral trade ties,” Goyal said in a social media post.The development comes amid ongoing efforts by both countries to finalise an interim trade pact. Last month, India and the US announced that they had finalised a framework for the first phase of the agreement, though it is yet to be signed.The two sides had earlier announced a trade deal on February 2, followed by a joint statement on February 7 outlining the contours of the agreement.As part of the framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. However, the tariff structure has since undergone changes after the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed under earlier measures.Following the ruling, US President Donald Trump introduced a 10% tariff on all countries for a period of 150 days starting February 24.In view of these developments, a planned meeting between chief negotiators of India and the US — aimed at finalising the legal text of the agreement — has been postponed. The pact was earlier expected to be signed this month.An official had earlier said that the interim trade agreement would be signed once the new global tariff framework of the US is fully in place.



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