₦airaland Forum

abduleez1:
Guy, the projects and directors and actors no even dey confidence. It just gets worse everyday.
Ain't seeing people or projects that endears you to the company.

No be the same people lost Tom Cruise their OG to Warner Bros with an overall deal.

Him no go overpay keh?? Who no go panick with the shittiness that is happening at Paramount. That's why the Skydance acquisition was dirty cheap. If person tell me say them go use $8bn buy Paramount I go think say na joke. If at all anything they should be worth around $20bn. To tell you how far they've fallen.

Expect massive layoffs at both companies, WB especially. People go too cry.

The combined company would have a $100bn debt hovering around them. In the end this Paramount/WB might collapse with this massive debt and be available for sale in bits and pieces in a few years from now if this Ellison continues moving cluelessly like he's been doing.

Na this kind of debt almost choke AT&T to death that they eventually merged to Discovery and gave WB part of their humongous debt.

GloriousGbola:
first casualty - the Gunnverse

abduleez1:
Omo, so quick??

abduleez1:
WB has big debt to pay off from their AT&T days leading to the Discovery acquisition. In actuality, WB can easily buy Paramount, but who gives AF about a company that it's CEO doesn't even believe in and needs another company to grow.

Besides, WB ain't in the game of acquisitions no more, the only few M&A they did recently was to buy small streamers to gain market entry in new overseas markets.....iirc that's in Turkey.

Netflix doesn't feel the need to overpay for WB like the Ellisons are doing. Cos unlike Paramount, Netflix can afford to be on its own and it's massively successful with it's streaming business. With WB it's "a nice thing to have" not an absolute necessity as it is for Paramount.

The only reason Paramount can bid for WB is because the CEO David Ellison is banking on financial support from his daddy— David Ellison, co-founder/owner of Oracle as well as being one of the richest man on earth. Also, they're also using financiers and borrowers as well as the rumoured Gulf states' Investment Funds' also putting money into the deal.

Netflix has the cash flow to back it's bid and can fund it themselves. But ain't no one willing to massively overpay for it. Their shareholders hate the deal, that's why Netflix lost a significant amount of its worth during the bidding process. Now, news is up of Netflix letting go, and their stocks is up 10%.


Why WB needs to sell?

Well, David Zaslav was brought in primarily to clean up WB, repurpose debt, and reposition the company for growth and ultimately sell to the highest bidder.

This is the problem of publicly traded companies. Their loyalty is to their shareholders and delivering "value" aka ROI to the investors. They give zero 4uk$ about fans or audiences. If they manage to get a CEO who gets it right in terms of content and programming for the general audience? Great. If not, they can always try someone else or just sell to the next best person.

Raalsalghul:
This poster is deceiving though because I can remember he was sat in a chair all through the film.

abduleez1:
Good news I guess in respect of all the bleak news .... 🤔🥲

Next year, HBOMAX should have surpassed Disney+ in subscription numbers. 🤔

BlackManta:
David Ellison and Paramount "genius" plan for HBO Max is to shut it down and keep all of it's content under Paramount+.

Despite the fact that HBO Max has more global subscribers and generates more revenue than Paramount+

Paramount buying WB is like giving a machine gun to a chimpanzee.

pu7pl3:
Those shareholders are part of the anchors holding WB down too IMHO.
I wish one Saudi guy/corporation can just buy them all off and be the sole owner

OhBritannia:
The dreadful is a solid 3/10

They should have Just casted an homecoming actor and actress if the storyline and concept of this movie was going to be vague and shallow with no meaning.
How are you casting these wonderful main casts for a movie as shallow like this?

The only reason i watched it all was because of the casts and nothing else.

abduleez1:
Wall Street na werey people full there. That's the annoyance with these companies.... Them no dey reason long term value but short term gains. They're all there to make money for themselves. The fat paycheck David Zaslav is also getting from sealing this deal ehn.

A perfect job he has delivered.

That Saudi matter ehn.... Lol, Hollywood will never allow a major company like WB be owned by Arabs. That one na political matter and optics entirely. Na the likes of Lionsgate, A24 and NEON dem go fit get.

abduleez1:
Lol, at least I go take solace say my name appear for CNN.

Fro5t:
Had to pause the grind to apprentice this dub, bossman

abduleez1:
Lol, thanks Chief.
Long time, how you been?

Fro5t:
Been as alright as a Nigerian living in Nigeria can be.

Xavier5:
People are complaining that Paramount Pictures isn't worthy of owning WB because they believe Paramount is incompetent due to past performance, but then I ask, is the current leadership of paramount the same as the past leadership? Should you blame the failures of the past leadership on the current leadership? Hope you all know the current leadership took over September last year? And despite taking over September last year, you all expect them to start working miracles. Make una chill abeg and stop being unnecessarily emotional jor 🙄.

Hope say una know say the film slate for 2026 were done by the past leadership? Reasoning demands you give the current leadership time to show themselves capable. Business is not magic.

Will David Ellison do a good job? Maybe, maybe not, but I believe he has a high chance of doing a good job, thanks to his ability to found and build Skydance Media as a successful mid-tier media company. If he could do that with Skydance, I believe he has a high chance of doing it with Paramount. Make una just give the guy chance.

This Paramount WB deal might be the worst idea, and it might end up being the best idea, but the bottomline is, nobody knows, so make una keep emotions aside and let things turn out. Do you really think the Ellisons will be willing to invest billions of dollars in acquiring WB with the intention of running it to the ground? Think about that for a second.

As for the merger of Paramount+ and HBO Max, we all know that won't happen. Corporate greed will not let it. Why merge the streaming platform and earn from only one when you can let birth exist and earn from both. Remember WB wanted doing same with Discovery+ and HBO Max but they reversed on that decision. Netflix intended to do same, but made a 360 degree on that decision. Paramount is just capping, when they see the money they are sacrificing, they will change cause, watch out. They aren't the first, and won't be the last.

Personally I'm happy that Netflix isn't acquiring WB because of their zero policy on lengthy theatrical releases, something that will affect DC Films. Do you think DC fans wants to see their dreams of seeing JL movies, Superman movies and movies of prominent DC characters grossing billions taken away from them because of Netflix zero tolerance for lengthy theatrical releases? The answer is a big fat NO. I rather any other company own WB than Netflix. I don't trust that streaming company.

Time will tell how things will unfold; for better or for worse. But las las una go dey alright.

But the twist be say, with this acquisitions, the Ellisons will be the biggest controller of America's news media. Imagine controlling NBC News and CNN... omoh 🤯. I see NBC News becoming a conservative media with time, while CNN remains liberal... this guys will be pulling the move Vought Corporation did with their VNN and VBC News 😂.



#Xavier

BlackManta:
Ellison pikin claimed he will be releasing 30 movies every year if he successfully acquires Warner Bros.

abduleez1:
There's nothing David Ellison has done of late that signals he's competent or capable of running a major studio like WB. Paramount Global he acquired some months back is even a minnow compared to WB and he hasn't shown any confidence in that venture that breeds optimism.
Hence, his desperation for WB. I mean, man just got his hands on one of the major studios of Hollywood and few months in he's desperately trying to buy another one. Overpricing every damn time. Same way he overpaid for UFC hosting rights in US for Paramount plus.

What does that tell you? It's someone who just finally had a good look at the business he just acquired and see how bleak it is. He can actually reposition Paramount but that will take years to come to fruition, 3 yrs at the least, but we can see he's not someone to take that hard and dutiful route. Instead he loves the easy way out.

Yes, most people know the slate of Paramount is still works of the past administration...no one's dumb, but the actions of Ellison since he's taken over speaks volumes. This are what people look at.

Paramount has a shitty slate already, what do they do, cancel Aang: The Last Airbender slated for a theatrical release and pushed to streaming. The same "we believe in theatres" anthem.

On running WB to the ground....uhm, Time Warner, AOL, AT&T and now Discovery all had good plans of making success with WB but couldn't. I mean WB has been passed around more times than your local street runs_g@l. They all planned to make money and the story remains the same. AT&T spent $85bn to acquire WB in 2018, they sold/merged with Discovery paying $40bn in 2023. And here we are, a few years down the line. The Ellisons won't be the last to me.

This is a Paramount and WB that are struggling with a declining cable networks business. So that business segment is definitely going to be a loss leader. Now someone combined two at once. Same entity everyone is trying to spin off. Universal spun off their cable and networks business to Versant. WBD actually has the same plans with spinning off the cable to Discovery Global if they couldn't make a deal with either of Netflix or Paramount.

Paying $110bn for WB and that's not accounting for the $55bn they'd have to repay to the banks for financing this deal. We're not even talking about the interests and insurance to repay.
That's a huge financial burden that way bigger companies owning WB in the past couldn't shake off talk more of a minnow like Skydance.

And bruv, Skydance Media isn't successful or has done anything significant to compare them anywhere close to WB. They're just a co-production and financing studio. They're in the same vein as Legendary Entertainment and yet they ain't even close to Legendary in terms of success or pedigree.
They producing Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission Impossible movies and co doesn't mean they were the real producers of those films.... I mean, those films first installment are even way older than Skydance Media itself.

Co-financing movies don't mean shit compared to running a studio. Putting $25mn to co-finance a $100mn project just to get a production tag ain't mean nothing.

Correction, NBC NEWS ain't what Paramount controls. That's owned by Universal/Comcast.
What you're thinking of is probably CBS NEWS and its associated networks.

Xavier5:
I'm clear on what I said, give someone time before you start passing judgement. Dude just took over Paramount in September last year, and people are expecting miracle. This is isn't a magic show, this is business. Give that guy time to show what he can or can not do. People should stop making assumptions or judgements rooted in sentiments.

And yes, Skydance is a successful mid-tier company, emphasis on the word, mid-tier. Whether Legendary Gates is more successful or not is irrelevant, the emphasis is, Skydance was a successful mid-tier company, a company that made revenues and profits in a competitive industry, and guess who made it so, David Ellison. This shows he has the capacity or his a high chance of having the capacity to run Paramount.

David Ellison might end up doing a good job, he might end up not doing a good job. Time will tell, it always does. So people should stop expecting magic and let the guy do his thing. By the year's end we will know if he's a mistake or not. Shikina.

Funny enough, when Gunn took over DC, people were saying same thing, but look how that turned out.

My own be say, make people no dey make judgement based on sentiments person get with a company. I no dey support anybody here, I just dey say, make una give the guy time. Make time vindicate or judge David Ellison. Shikina 🤷.


#Xavier

abduleez1:
Same way you're also basing your Netflix bad, Paramount good on personal sentiments.

Have Netflix taken hold of WB that you're so sure that they would not give theatrical release a chance? Which major studio has Netflix owned or Skydance? Also we've at least seen how the Ellison drops highly anticipated movies from theatres to streaming. The same saviour you're hoping would help DC.

I find it funny that everyone likes to crucify Netflix on how they'd destroy the industry with short theatrical release windows and co. But guess what.... Netflix is actually a streaming company. Have they operated a business that made them to compulsorily release films in theatres? Capital NO.

They can't give you promise of releasing films theatrically because they've never been a traditional studio. Netflix audience or subscribers are online and at homes. Their business is entirely different from the theatrical game. So I find it profoundly weird with peeps talking about Netflix this and that.
If Netflix owned a traditional studio like AmazonMGM now, what you peeps say would have some level of relevance. But it's not.


"Netflix hates theatres, loves short windows" etc, yet it's the same Netflix that's sponsoring Greta Gerwig's NARNIA movie in cinemas on IMAX for a whole month this year. If you don't believe in theatres, you'd never debut a film on the most prestigious screen any filmmaker wishes for their films to be seen.

Just like you're explaining away Ellison's shït talk about his plans for HBOMAX and Paramount+, one can be made for Netflix because they've never been in the theatrical game before. The ONLY reason Netflix even releases films in theatres is because of Academy Awards requirements. Until recently when filmmakers started pushing back and needing their films in cinemas. Netflix has shown it is willing to bend or make compromises depending on the situation on ground. And even promised at least a 45days window for major films if it acquires WB.

Netflix has the cashflow to easily make WB and DC a juggernaut. They have the experience being a dominant force in the industry.

Talking about theatrical windows, with the same WB that took SUPERMAN to VOD in less than 45 days. That's their most anticipated film of last year o. There's also the case of THE BATMAN that got just 45days of release despite doing crazy numbers in 2022. These are DC's highest grossing films in theatres since 2022, and you can already see how the studio treats it. These films should be doing nothing less than 60 days in theatres cos of their scale.

So, I find all this talk pretty cheap.

Ellison can make a success out of WB same way David Zaslav did a superb job even if peeps won't give him the credit or never believed he would succeed when he first came in. But, I seriously doubt it.

Anyways, we can always wait and see how things pan out.

Xavier5:
1.) Bro your entire argument is irrelevant because I never advocated for David Ellison, neither did I advocate against him. I simply said, give the guy, who just took over Paramount in September, time to do his thing, instead of expecting magic or passing early judgement. That was loud and clear.

Whatever he is doing in or with Paramount now we will see the effect later. You might not like how he is going about things now but the result might turn out good. You may like how he is going about things, but the result might turn out bad. Time will tell. David Ellison might end up being a blessing or a curse. And Paramount buying WB might end up being the best deal or a nightmarish deal. Time will be the judge.

Na by September, which makes everything a year, I go rate em performance... that's it 🤷. For now, I just dey observation mode.


2.) As for Netflix, I never said I hated Netflix, I said, as a DC Fan, I don't trust Netflix. Marvel fans have had enormous experience of Marvel films grossing billions while DC Films suffered, and now that, under Gunn, we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel in relation to DC Films probably getting the opportunity to gross billions, Netflix wants to swop in and probably take that opportunity from us due to their zero policy on lengthy theatrical releases. Nah!!!

Talking about Greta Gerwig's Narnia, she's an anomaly, and you don't make a case from an anomality. Because Netflix agreed to her doesn't necessarily mean they will agree to another. They might, they may not, and probability isn't something I want to run with. And even if they agree for DC Films, how sure are we that they won't renege in the future?

Netflix laid emphasis on the fact that they would focus on streaming, and if they go theatrical, it's going to be a short theatrical window, 30 to 45 days to be exact, which isn't bad or that bad, but can we trust Netflix to stick to that model or arrangements? Maybe they will, maybe they won't. This is where my fears of Netflix comes in, it's about probability, and as I earlier said, that's not something I want to run with.

Netflix, to me, can't be trusted. But what about Paramount? They can be trusted with lengthy theatrical releases due to being proponents of it. So it's up to DC Studios to utilize that and do the needful.

DC Studios will function independently or semi-independently from Paramount Pictures just like it did with WB Pictures, so if David Ellison decides to be incompetent with Paramount Pictures' releases, it won't affect DC Studios, which will be handled by Gunn as far as the financial resources is always made available. So the only concern I have with David Ellison will be, will he always make the financial resources available? I believe the answer is yes, because DC is a cash cow and David Ellison will be willing to milk it as far as it delivers.

Truth is, I don't care about Paramount, WB or Netflix, I only care about DC....



#Xavier

abduleez1:
No be here I talk say nothing is happening to HBO CEO Casey Bloys and that Ellison is a bluffing.