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    Paramount launches hostile bid for Warner Bros

    (www.cnbc.com)
    366 points gniting | 50 comments | 08 Dec 25 14:16 UTC | HN request time: 0.002s | source | bottom

    Previously: Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46160315 (1333 comments)
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    indigodaddy ◴[08 Dec 25 15:17 UTC] No.46193176[source]▶
    Does WB have to pay the breakup fee to Netflix if a Paramount hostile takeover succeeds?
    replies(6): >>46193410 #>>46193460 #>>46193494 #>>46193833 #>>46194214 #>>46194238 #
    1. JumpCrisscross ◴[08 Dec 25 15:38 UTC] No.46193494[source]▶
    It looks like it. $2.8bn by Warner Brothers to Netflix [1].

    If the vote looks close, Paramount would be expected to raise their bid to cover that cost.

    [1] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1065280/000119312525... 8.3(a)

    replies(1): >>46198659 #
    2. dabockster ◴[08 Dec 25 22:42 UTC] No.46198659[source]▶
    The failed merger and similar clawback clause between Kroger and Albertsons is currently destroying a significant part of the supply chain for food in the Pacific Northwest. Grocery stores that have been open for 50-75 years - stores where whole neighborhoods and towns were built around - are closing forever, leaving those areas as food deserts.

    Either way, this entertainment merger is going to get ugly. Consumers are absolutely going to get harmed either way with that clawback clause.

    replies(8): >>46198767 #>>46198814 #>>46201847 #>>46201980 #>>46202080 #>>46202428 #>>46203666 #>>46205360 #
    3. thisisnotauser ◴[08 Dec 25 22:52 UTC] No.46198767[source]▶
    Except you need food to live and tv shows are an artificially scarce resource that's actually free to distribute in unlimited quantities, so the harm is very different.
    replies(1): >>46198928 #
    4. hopelite ◴[08 Dec 25 22:55 UTC] No.46198814[source]▶
    I’m not sure it’s a fair comparison, groceries that sell food on one hand and a brainwashing and propaganda delivery system (see History of criminal, industry/advertiser, FBI, CIA, Pentagon, and foreign nation direct ties to the industry) masquerading as “entertainment” on the other.

    You don’t have to be “harmed”, just do not pay them your money. Problem solved. If the prospect of not being “entertained” fills you with anxiety and frustration, maybe that’s something to reflect on.

    replies(2): >>46198873 #>>46199725 #
    5. cwillu ◴[08 Dec 25 23:01 UTC] No.46198873{3}[source]▶
    The machine works in the aggregate, and so does the harm. Lets not pretend that all will be well if I just avoid the propoganda myself.
    replies(1): >>46199373 #
    6. ClikeX ◴[08 Dec 25 23:07 UTC] No.46198928{3}[source]▶
    Real people work in this industry, though. A merger of this size is bound to come with some layoffs and canceled projects.

    It's not as bad as food scarcity, of course. But it can do some collateral damage.

    replies(2): >>46198975 #>>46199478 #
    7. dabockster ◴[08 Dec 25 23:11 UTC] No.46198975{4}[source]▶
    That, plus fewer studios mean less creativity goes to the mainstream. If you thought AI slop was bad, go re-watch Star Wars Episode 8.
    replies(4): >>46200071 #>>46200120 #>>46200426 #>>46202064 #
    8. hopelite ◴[08 Dec 25 23:50 UTC] No.46199373{4}[source]▶
    That makes no logical sense. So if I give up my “entertainment” subscriptions because the execs need their bonuses and drive the prices up to compensate for the penalty, causing me to think about how to spend quality time with my family paying games, reading books, and doing activities; is equally harmful as if I can’t but groceries in my town because the grocery store was closed?
    replies(1): >>46199776 #
    9. orionblastar ◴[09 Dec 25 00:02 UTC] No.46199478{4}[source]▶
    Does that mean the DCU Movies might get delayed or canceled?
    replies(2): >>46199903 #>>46201633 #
    10. cwillu ◴[09 Dec 25 00:32 UTC] No.46199776{5}[source]▶
    I most certainly did not imply that cancelling subscriptions is harmful; I think you read something I did not write.
    11. xakumazx ◴[09 Dec 25 00:48 UTC] No.46199903{5}[source]▶
    One can only hope.
    replies(1): >>46200992 #
    12. raw_anon_1111 ◴[09 Dec 25 01:08 UTC] No.46200071{5}[source]▶
    You will still have Amazon, Apple, Paramount, Disney, and NetMax spending billions each on content and streaming and Sony being the mercenary creating content for the highest bidder.

    WB under Discovery was already becoming an also ran and more financial engineering than a real company.

    13. AlexandrB ◴[09 Dec 25 01:15 UTC] No.46200120{5}[source]▶
    Seems like a bad example. The problem with Episode 8 was not lack of creativity. Episode 7 was a complete retread of "A New Hope" and a bigger offender. At least blue Jedi milk is new.
    replies(1): >>46201228 #
    14. i80and ◴[09 Dec 25 02:00 UTC] No.46200426{5}[source]▶
    I mean, 8 was easily the most functional of the new trilogy, if a somewhat overly ambitious muddle, so that's a bad example.

    There is a real problem with too many sequels and adaptations though.

    replies(2): >>46201979 #>>46204211 #
    15. LarsDu88 ◴[09 Dec 25 03:38 UTC] No.46200992{6}[source]▶
    That's the only thing most people are looking forward to from WB!
    16. bananaflag ◴[09 Dec 25 04:28 UTC] No.46201228{6}[source]▶
    Episode 8 was a retread of Empire Strikes Back (ships chase through empty space while the main character trains with the old master on a wild planet). It seemed subversive just because ESB was subversive relative to ANH.
    replies(2): >>46202035 #>>46206112 #
    17. jonhohle ◴[09 Dec 25 05:40 UTC] No.46201633{5}[source]▶
    Instead they’re a 20 part serial with about 5 mins of actual content per episode. Enjoy!
    18. thordenmark ◴[09 Dec 25 06:22 UTC] No.46201847[source]▶
    It's not like we aren't drowning in entertainment options.

    Food on the other hand, that's a real problem.

    replies(1): >>46203067 #
    19. NBJack ◴[09 Dec 25 06:48 UTC] No.46201979{6}[source]▶
    If 8 had followed through on its narrative promises, it would have had a chance. But unfortunately, much like a modern LLM that exceeds its context window, it lost its way in the final act.

    As for sequels, we are at a weird time in history. Due maybe in part just how prevalent media is and how easy (relatively) it is to create, we've been super-saturated in "like X but with Y" stories. We have dedicated websites mapping tropes. It's hard to come up with anything that hasn't been done a few million times. AI will probably accelerate that, and I can't say I know what comes next.

    20. digitaltrees ◴[09 Dec 25 06:48 UTC] No.46201980[source]▶
    Sounds like an opportunity to open grocery stores.
    replies(3): >>46202042 #>>46202201 #>>46202207 #
    21. NBJack ◴[09 Dec 25 06:56 UTC] No.46202035{7}[source]▶
    Complete with "this guy will help us" to "oh no, they betrayed us!"
    22. alostpuppy ◴[09 Dec 25 06:58 UTC] No.46202042{3}[source]▶
    I suspect in a lot of those places there is only the one supply chain.
    replies(1): >>46202197 #
    23. nake89 ◴[09 Dec 25 07:03 UTC] No.46202064{5}[source]▶
    Me and my wife were Star Wars fans. The last Star Wars media we watched was episode 8. I almost walked out the theater.
    replies(3): >>46202939 #>>46203536 #>>46219579 #
    24. fragmede ◴[09 Dec 25 07:05 UTC] No.46202080[source]▶
    money is just this construct that we invented to distribute limited resources. why are we doing this?
    replies(2): >>46202145 #>>46203612 #
    25. jachee ◴[09 Dec 25 07:15 UTC] No.46202145{3}[source]▶
    The Invisible Hand demands its tribute. It’s giving us the Invisible Middle Finger again.
    26. brookst ◴[09 Dec 25 07:24 UTC] No.46202197{4}[source]▶
    UNfI is the big distriubor, Kehei is second. Both serve essentially all grocery stores.
    27. themafia ◴[09 Dec 25 07:24 UTC] No.46202201{3}[source]▶
    So when it's not happening as readily as we expect what do we do next?
    replies(1): >>46203072 #
    28. pantalaimon ◴[09 Dec 25 07:26 UTC] No.46202207{3}[source]▶
    Aldi is always looking for property
    29. thayne ◴[09 Dec 25 07:59 UTC] No.46202428[source]▶
    I don't understand how that kind of clause can be legal. Its existence puts anti-trust enforcement in a catch-22, either they allow the merger, which reduces competition, or they reject it, and the acquiree is decimated, also reducing competition.
    replies(2): >>46205134 #>>46205736 #
    30. wooger ◴[09 Dec 25 09:16 UTC] No.46202939{6}[source]▶
    I've watched and enjoyed Andor since, but yeah other than that zero star wars movies and TV shows since episode 8. I hear 9 was also hilariously bad, but I'll not ever bother seeing it.
    31. alfiedotwtf ◴[09 Dec 25 09:35 UTC] No.46203067{3}[source]▶
    12 Fast and the Furious, 42 X-Men movies… yeah - drowning
    replies(2): >>46203223 #>>46204075 #
    32. ssl-3 ◴[09 Dec 25 09:37 UTC] No.46203072{4}[source]▶
    We just sit back and watch as the invisible hands of capitalism cleanse themselves of our existence.
    33. fainpul ◴[09 Dec 25 10:03 UTC] No.46203223{4}[source]▶
    Not to mention franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, Alien, Predator, Jurassic Park etc.
    replies(2): >>46204007 #>>46204008 #
    34. baq ◴[09 Dec 25 11:01 UTC] No.46203536{6}[source]▶
    Star Wars is synonymous with Andor at this point. The original trilogy is second, but it isn't a close second.
    replies(1): >>46204089 #
    35. netsharc ◴[09 Dec 25 11:16 UTC] No.46203612{3}[source]▶
    Too many people are too obsessed in making some number in a database be as large as possible...

    Maybe they should just play that paperclip game.

    36. grosswait ◴[09 Dec 25 11:24 UTC] No.46203666[source]▶
    Forever seems pretty definitive
    37. lcnPylGDnU4H9OF ◴[09 Dec 25 12:04 UTC] No.46204007{5}[source]▶
    Speaking of anti-trust, all of those franchises save Jurassic Park are owned by Disney through mergers.
    38. hulitu ◴[09 Dec 25 12:04 UTC] No.46204008{5}[source]▶
    I'm still waiting for the "Alien vs Jurasic park". It must be a very entertaining movie. /s
    replies(1): >>46205930 #
    39. loloquwowndueo ◴[09 Dec 25 12:13 UTC] No.46204075{4}[source]▶
    Look back, not forward my dude. Plenty of good material from previous years. With the benefit of hindsight having filtered the crap out
    40. loloquwowndueo ◴[09 Dec 25 12:15 UTC] No.46204089{7}[source]▶
    Oh really? What’s Andor?
    replies(1): >>46204224 #
    41. phantasmish ◴[09 Dec 25 12:28 UTC] No.46204211{6}[source]▶
    8 is at least the fourth best Star Wars movie.

    Maybe 3rd. Jedi is gorgeous but the script for everything past Jabba’s Palace is a mess. Doesn’t know what to do with all its characters, feels the need to have them all around anyway.

    42. baq ◴[09 Dec 25 12:30 UTC] No.46204224{8}[source]▶
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9253284/
    43. bmacho ◴[09 Dec 25 14:16 UTC] No.46205134{3}[source]▶
    8.3(b) on pg. 79 says that "Regulatory Termination Fee" is $5,800,000,000 from Netflix to WB. (IANAL)
    44. nullbyte808 ◴[09 Dec 25 14:39 UTC] No.46205360[source]▶
    I live a couple blocks down from one that was open for 40+ years. I use Amazon now for my groceries. I was gonna use Safeway but their prices are high.
    45. toyg ◴[09 Dec 25 15:09 UTC] No.46205736{3}[source]▶
    > I don't understand how that kind of clause can be legal.

    Arguably they promote a chilling effect around acquisitions, which does help competition: "don't try to buy something unless you're prepared to deal with a possible fallout" should result in fewer attempts at consolidating dominant positions.

    I'd almost be tempted to posit that such a clause should become mandatory for deals over a certain threshold (e.g. $1bn), with amounts determined according to certain parameters.

    replies(1): >>46207164 #
    46. rvba ◴[09 Dec 25 15:26 UTC] No.46205930{6}[source]▶
    Best you can get is Aliens vs Predator vs Terminator comic book (if you are 10 years old you can like it, it is betterr than most AvP stuff but that is a low hanging bar)

    I mean the franchise didnt get anything top tier apart from Aliens labirynth and the vP 2 game from.. 2001?

    47. staticman2 ◴[09 Dec 25 15:40 UTC] No.46206112{7}[source]▶
    Episode 8 was subversive because it had self aware moments "trolling" the audience throughout like Luke mocking the idea Rey (and the audience) thought he would pick up a lightsaber again.

    It also has weird "subversive" dialogue about sacrifice being bad that doesn't really fit what's happening in the movie itself where sacrifice of two characters saves the day. Which is "subversive" in the sense that a movie with dialogue saying "this is a shitty movie plot" is subversive.

    It also rips off the ending of Return of the Jedi by killing the main bad guy so is "subversive" in that it trolls whoever was stuck making episode 9 without a functional villain.

    48. thayne ◴[09 Dec 25 16:47 UTC] No.46207164{4}[source]▶
    > don't try to buy something unless you're prepared to deal with a possible fallout

    The kroger Albertsons deal was the other way around, the seller had to pay the buyer if the deal didn't go through.

    replies(1): >>46207625 #
    49. toyg ◴[09 Dec 25 17:19 UTC] No.46207625{5}[source]▶
    yeah, that sounds like a bit of blackmail...
    50. cornhole ◴[10 Dec 25 16:16 UTC] No.46219579{6}[source]▶
    my biggest problem with episode 8 was that they freed the camels but not the camel jockey slave children