



Behind Paramount’s relentless campaign to woo Warner Discovery and President Trump
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison knew his latest bid for Warner Bros. Discovery was in trouble when the company’s CEO David Zaslav started ghosting him.
Paramount had spent the morning of Dec. 4 finalizing its sixth bid to acquire all of Warner Discovery: an all-cash $77.9 billion offer. But Paramount was worried that Warner Bros.
had already settled on their preferred dance partner: Netflix. “Just tried calling you about new bid we have submitted," Ellison texted Zaslav. “I heard you on all your concerns and believe we have addressed them in our new proposal.
Please give me a call back when you can to discuss in detail." He didn’t hear back. Sensing trouble, Ellison followed up, saying Paramount had offered a package that covered all the issues Warner Discovery had raised, including the need for “strong cash value" and “speed to close." “It would be the honor of a lifetime to be your partner and to be the owner of these iconic assets," he texted, according to a regulatory filing. On Friday, Ellison’s concerns were realized.
Warner Discovery and Netflix announced a deal for the streaming giant to acquire the iconic Warner Bros. and HBO properties for $72 billion, a proposed merger that could radically reshape entertainment. Ellison’s father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a Trump ally, called the president after the Netflix deal was announced and told him the transaction would hurt competition, according to a White House official and a person familiar with the matter.
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