TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Warner Media/Discovery joint venture; thoughts and discussion

Go To

CursedBarney Stocking Suit from Your subconscious (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Stocking Suit
#1801: Jun 18th 2025 at 2:48:42 PM

Apropos of something; Alcon Entertainment just bought Village Roadshow's entire film library since the latter's bankruptcy. That won't affect WB's rights though.

Fear it... or not.
CursedBarney Stocking Suit from Your subconscious (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Stocking Suit
#1802: Jul 8th 2025 at 7:12:57 PM

'Scuse the double post but looks like TCM will stay with WBD... at least creatively.

Fear it... or not.
Deacon911 King of Freedonia from Freedonia Since: Jun, 2012
King of Freedonia
#1803: Jul 9th 2025 at 10:55:45 AM

If I treated my daughter the way Zaslav treats TCM, I'd be sent to prison.

"Everyone’s equal. Same chances of getting hit. Equal in the eyes of the rocket.”
CursedBarney Stocking Suit from Your subconscious (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Stocking Suit
#1804: Jul 28th 2025 at 10:07:59 AM

Here's how the split will play out:

The "Streaming & Studios" side will simply be "Warner Bros." while all the "Global Networks" will be... "Discovery Global".

So basically, just like before the merger?

Fear it... or not.
omega2900 Jemerald of Brainrot from The Midwest, where everything is MID! (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: In my bunk
Jemerald of Brainrot
#1805: Jul 28th 2025 at 11:37:00 AM

So what was even the point of the merger then?

Get taxed. Idiot.
ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#1806: Jul 28th 2025 at 11:40:56 AM

Probably based on faulty reasoning that led them to a conclusion that it'd be profitable.

My musician page
Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#1807: Jul 28th 2025 at 3:10:55 PM

[up][up]Something something taxes

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Ookamikun This is going to be so much fun. (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
This is going to be so much fun.
#1808: Jul 28th 2025 at 3:55:31 PM

Oh right, articles called the company Warner Discovery.

Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1809: Jul 29th 2025 at 9:12:22 PM

WB Keeps the CN/AS ip rights but not the Network anymore as it's now a separate thing and cartoon Network studios was merged with Warner Bros animation.

Like I'm still trying to figure out what this all means if something happens to CN as a network but the I Ps will still live on with WB and will just move to Hulu or whatever streaming service like gumball and other Cartoon Network properties.

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#1810: Jul 29th 2025 at 9:41:44 PM

This could be like the Fox situation after Fox studios and I Ps were bought by Disney. Fox national channels still have the rights to air their I Ps, especially new episodes, like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, but then you have stuff like the King of the Hill reboot that's going on Hulu.

Mind, I don't know how Fox owned I Ps are "given" to Fox channels. Is it a contract where they get new episodes first? Do they pay per episode? Per season?

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
lbssb The sleepiest good boi Since: Jun, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
The sleepiest good boi
#1811: Jul 29th 2025 at 10:42:54 PM

[semi-crosspost from DCU thread]

So in the end, what did this merger truly end up accomplishing?

Distrust over whether one of the major studios will randomly decide not to release your completed work? A devaluing of their animated IP by shoving it all somewhere else? Completely burying numerous classic shows for no reason? Killing a promising crossover fighter because it wasn't immediately making Fortnite money? Oversaturating HBO Max with reality TV crap clogging my homepage over the stuff I actually watch?

The only real net positive was hiring James Gunn to be in charge of DC, but a) anybody could've done that, and b) Zaslav's first choice was to delusionally try to steal Kevin Feige, so I really don't think he deserves the kudos on that one.

Disney100 Marathon | DreamWorks Marathon
Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1812: Jul 30th 2025 at 6:07:42 AM

also another question based on old speculation surrounding Warner Bros, are they going to get sold again since they got rid of the debt? I heard that is like one of the reasons why other companies didn't want to merge with Warner Bros discovery.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#1813: Jul 30th 2025 at 6:19:51 AM

I think pretty much everyone's still going to be really leery about it. Paramount is off the table now, and the other options were pretty much all Zaslav just independently pitching it at companies that didn't really want to do a merger or sale in the first place. Like, I am not kidding, he constantly made offers to companies that weren't planning to sell or merge because the guy really does seem to think company mergers are the highest good possible with absolutely no understanding as to why.

Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1814: Jul 30th 2025 at 6:27:34 AM

yeah that's pretty much kind of my worry about the split. arguably a bit more than the fact cartoon Network as a network isn't part of Warner Bros anymore.

I think people say that the companies who are more likely to buy Warner Bros is either Amazon or Apple but even then that entire sky dance Paramount deal makes me feel like a merger between one of them is going to be hard at this point unless Zaslav does what CBS did and canceling shows and fire anyone who Trump don't like.

Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1815: Jul 30th 2025 at 6:32:49 AM

like I would give it about a year or two when we start hearing Zaslav and talks about a merger with Warner Bros again.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#1816: Jul 30th 2025 at 6:35:51 AM

Amazon's pretty unlikely, honestly, since they own MGM now. That'd be a big roadblock to begin with, they'd be more likely to just try and buy specific properties. Apple has very conspicuously avoided overextending themselves in their TV production (note how their output rate is significantly lower than anyone else in the same market) and have extended into theatrical releasing on their own. I have a hard time seeing why anyone at Apple would think buying WB and getting Zaslav involved with them would be a good move.

But here's the biggest reason why I don't think Apple is a big chance:

They have never once even hinted at the idea of wanting to do a merger with anyone at all. None of their executives, none of their representatives, no one working for them, none of them have ever talked about it. The news breathlessly going "MERGER WITH APPLE!?!?!??!?!" is literally always because someone not at Apple started talking about it and it never goes anywhere at all because Apple is 100% not interested and no one has any leverage to try and force it.

We're going to hear Zaslav talking about it because he's obsessed with mergers, but I think that's about as far as it's going to go, because he's spent the entire time since making the WBD merger going on about all the other companies he wants to do a merger with and literally none of them panned out.

Edited by Zendervai on Jul 30th 2025 at 9:40:51 AM

Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1817: Jul 30th 2025 at 7:10:48 AM

[up]all right but even if they are not likely even in a year or two after the split is complete, is there any company that would want to buy them or is Zaslav going to give up at that point because other companies think merging with WB is a curse (which probably not that far off considering previous mergers weren't that great, especially AT&T) and he believes that the DCU will carry Warner Bros forward?

I'm still keeping in mind that people here said that Zaslav praising for Superman's success was weird before it even reached 500m or going to surpass Man of Steel box office numbers with maybe the small possibility it will reach 1b as well as the fact that it was previously reported that Warner Bros desperately wanted Superman to be a big success like they wanted it to be 2b or more, which is extremely unrealistic at this point.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#1818: Jul 30th 2025 at 7:25:53 AM

IMO, Zaslav himself is never, ever going to shut up about mergers. But it doesn't matter what he says if he can't convince anyone else. Which is the pattern. He managed it a grand total of once and then managed to really turn off the one other party it was an option with while also ticking off a lot of people who aren't interested.

Also, don't forget, a lot of the reason Superman is considered to be doing well is because the merch sales are absolutely crazy. Merch has been devalued a lot in the past couple of decades, but it's still a really significant source of income when it does well, and it's doing insanely well here. It's also hugely boosting comic sales and sales and views of the older movies and TV shows.

Edited by Zendervai on Jul 30th 2025 at 10:32:01 AM

Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1819: Jul 30th 2025 at 11:31:37 AM

[up] I feel kind of differently if Warner Bros (the streaming and studio side) is in a better place then it was during its Warner Bros Discovery days since one of the reasons other companies didn't want to merge with WB Discovery besides Zaslav talking out of his ass like he's delusional was because of that Debt they had which would make the merger between whoever wanted WB discovery be in a more difficult position and then it want that burden.

A Warner Bros without that post-split and is looking to do a bit more better than in 2022-2025 days, somebody may take that opportunity and consider a merger hence why I kinda brought up the possibility after the split like a year or two since presumably they would be in a better position after the split without the debt burdening them.

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#1820: Jul 30th 2025 at 1:29:52 PM

Yeah, but who? Sony isn't interested, Apple really doesn't want to do it, Universal and Disney are both too big already and Amazon has a really strong conflict of interest because they already own MGM and the only other real option is, whoops, AT&T.

Zaslav isn't going to magic a merger out of thin air, he needs someone who is actually open to it and there isn't anyone in any relevant industries big enough who is also at all interested. Again, he can blither and babble about mergers all he wants, but if no one else is open to it, it's not happening.

If the debt was the core problem, we would have gotten stuff like "Sony considered a merger, but decided against it because of the debt" (because that looks good to shareholders) but instead, literally all we get is Zaslav going "maybe Apple?", news media going "Apple merger possible?" and then nothing happens because Apple was never asked and didn't want one. Zaslav's not really doing any of the groundwork, he wasn't even the one to set up the offer for WB when AT&T sold it, he just occasionally floats the idea and then nothing happens because he's not making formal offers or the offers he does make are cartoonishly bad.

Edited by Zendervai on Jul 30th 2025 at 4:34:33 AM

themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#1821: Jul 30th 2025 at 1:30:47 PM

Apparently Disney tried a while back.

Highly unlikely to happen again, but it’d be surreal to see Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny under the same umbrella.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
M1gamiTensei The Scrappy of the Trope Pantheon, God of Thumps from Punished “Brainwashed” M1gami Since: Oct, 2017 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
The Scrappy of the Trope Pantheon, God of Thumps
#1822: Jul 30th 2025 at 2:20:34 PM

I was thinking more Amazon could take WB. They do have the funds and already connected with a few WB properties. Its just a question if the FCC is willing after MGM which honestly, sounds more plausible with how powerful Jeff Bezos has become in economics

Pantheon server for all who click here. Lost too much money and time, this coaster ain’t stopping.
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#1823: Aug 1st 2025 at 11:09:02 AM

WBD to lay off 10% of its Motion Picture Group employees as part of an ongoing restructuring prior to the split.

Fixed the article...

Edited by tclittle on Aug 1st 2025 at 9:51:55 AM

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#1824: Aug 1st 2025 at 12:48:26 PM

> I was thinking more Amazon could take WB.

I think giving them even more of a monopoly is a bad idea,that and I dont think Warner bros is an attractive purchase because of all their debt

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Effect7 Since: Jun, 2023
#1825: Aug 1st 2025 at 3:46:04 PM

[up] even though from what I heard on the Warner bros side of the split, they don't have that baggage and you want and put that on the company that will have the networks, making a Warner bros-Amazon merge possible in the future after the split is complete.


Total posts: 2,232
Top