The Biggest Obstacle to Netflix Acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery (Hint: It's Not Paramount)

2 days ago 4

Rick Munarriz, The Motley Fool

Thu, February 12, 2026 astatine 11:26 AM CST 4 min read

Love triangles marque compelling viewing entertainment, but the hottest trio close present isn't airing connected a fashionable web oregon 1 of the starring streaming services. The must-watch emotion triangle of the play happens to beryllium the 1 involving 3 of the media companies themselves.

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) has had a woody successful spot to get astir of Warner Bros. Discovery's (NASDAQ: WBD) assets since November. Both parties signed disconnected connected a $72 cardinal woody that is worthy person to $83 cardinal connected an endeavor worth ground for the streaming and workplace assets. Warner Bros. Discovery would rotation disconnected its linear networks and little lucrative media businesses earlier the wedding ceremony.

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A mates and their dog, transmission surfing from the couch.

It's a cute couple, but astatine slightest 1 suitor hasn't near the beforehand porch. Scorned losing bidder Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ: PSKY) isn't consenting to instrumentality nary for an answer. It wants each of Warner Bros. Discovery, and it's not giving up connected its passioned pursuit.

In Hollywood -- deliberation Casablanca, Bridget Jones's Diary, The Philadelphia Story, etc. -- the prime is up to the taxable of the rivaled affections. It's the characters played by Ingrid Bergman, Renee Zellweger, and Grace Kelly who person the last accidental successful their respective love-triangle classics. Things are somewhat antithetic successful firm America. Warner Bros. Discovery gets to prime its soulmate, but the parents person the last accidental connected the projected pairing.

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Most buyouts -- adjacent those entangled successful ferocious bidding battles -- yet happen. Things get hairier erstwhile it's giants hitting connected giants. Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery are gargantuan media stocks. From the position of streaming work stocks, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max are leaders successful the premium space. There's a small much wiggle country erstwhile you broaden the scope to screen amusement oregon contented creation.

The U.S. Department of Justice and possibly adjacent the Federal Trade Commission volition beryllium mulling the operation of Netflix with Warner Bros. Discovery precise closely. Would the 2 businesses coming unneurotic marque streaming services much costly for consumers? Will the caller entity go excessively powerful? Netflix already has a monolithic assemblage of 325 cardinal subscribers worldwide. Will it go excessively ample if it besides includes HBO Max, DC Comics, and the Harry Potter franchise?