The American company Netflix is conducting exclusive negotiations on the acquisition of part of the rival group Warner Bros. Discovery. It was written by the Bloomberg agency on Friday night with reference to its sources. Among other things, Netflix is offering high severance pay in the event that regulatory authorities do not approve the acquisition.
According to Bloomberg, the two companies are in exclusive talks to acquire Warner Bros Discovery’s film and television studios, as well as HBO Max, a platform for streaming movies, series and other shows. If the companies come to an agreement, they could announce their intention to make the acquisition within days at the earliest.
Netflix is offering $28 per share, according to Reuters sources. That represents a premium to the $24.54 price at which Warner Bros. Discovery closed Thursday’s trading on the stock exchange, as well as against a bid from Paramount, which offered $24 a share in a takeover of the entire group.
If the companies agree on a transaction, Warner Bros. Discovery will separate its television channels, including CNN and TBS, into a separate company. These would probably not be part of the acquisition by Netflix. The entire Warner Bros. Discovery group has an estimated value of $60 billion (1.25 trillion crowns), according to Bloomberg.
The transaction would be a shakeup for the American film and visual industries. Netflix, which owns the platform of the same name with films, series and shows on demand, would acquire one of the traditional Hollywood production companies, which has a history of more than a century.
