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NEWS: Netflix Bows Out After Paramount Offers Higher Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery


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AiddonValentine



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 2978
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 8:54 pm Reply with quote
Well, that ain't good
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 8241
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:05 pm Reply with quote
And here we go with the possible censorship, pro-Trump propaganda, and also trying to do what CBS did with trying to sabotage a senate candidate interview in Texas which backfired splendidly when it went viral. I'm hearing a lot of talk on social media with people worrying that Cartoon Network, and DC Animation could be the first to be eliminated if CBS get WB-Discovery.
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Cypher997



Joined: 08 Apr 2025
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:12 pm Reply with quote
Add another company to the boycott list alongside other pro-4547 companies (Mouse House, Hulu, Paramount). Crying shame as some of the classics and modern gems came from WB, not to mention DC Comics is under WB so that adds an unfortunate orange taint to their print offerings. Still, rather stick to my guns and have a blanket boycott in place to deny them both my coin and eyes than fund a monster in charge.
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8634
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:16 pm Reply with quote
Great, now the fascists will have their claws in DC. Watch Superman defend ICE now. Batman will glaze Israel. Wonder Woman will become a trad wife. It sickens me.
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Kadmos1



Joined: 08 May 2014
Posts: 13764
Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:21 pm Reply with quote
If the feds are smart, they will say "No". That prev. sentence might become more wishful thinking.
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Slop Slop no Mi



Joined: 27 Jan 2026
Posts: 60
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:24 pm Reply with quote
penguintruth wrote:
Great, now the fascists will have their claws in DC. Watch Superman defend ICE now. Batman will glaze Israel. Wonder Woman will become a trad wife. It sickens me.


Are we really doing the "oh great, now comic books are going to be political" thing as if they haven't touched on these subjects since their inception. Superman was promoting jingoism and war propaganda back in the 40s and telling us to [redacted due to horrible offensive language and caricatures of Japanese people]

I guess I'm the only one who remembers when DC put out a comic series during the 2008 election and had Wonder Woman and Lois Lane endorsing the Republican party. Comic characters and politics ain't new lol.


Last edited by Slop Slop no Mi on Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:25 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Cypher997



Joined: 08 Apr 2025
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:24 pm Reply with quote
Kadmos1 wrote:
If the feds are smart, they will say "No". That prev. sentence might become more wishful thinking.


Feds being smart, that's a fools bet at this point. To put it politely with regards to the current feds, they're 'Foxes in the Hen house.'
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The_Outsider



Joined: 09 Sep 2021
Posts: 139
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:35 pm Reply with quote
On the bright side, this puts a hamper on the Netflix dream of destroying cinema, at least for now.

On the other hand, it's consolidation between two unsustainable companies hemorrhaging money, highly doubt this will last very long.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 5176
Location: New York
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:35 pm Reply with quote
Netflix bowing out seems to be a calculated move to watch as Paramount buys Warner, then drowns in a ton of debt. I can’t approve of either merger, but it seems savvy if the plan works.
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Cypher997



Joined: 08 Apr 2025
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:37 pm Reply with quote
Slop Slop no Mi wrote:

Are we really doing the "oh great, now comic books are going to be political" thing as if they haven't touched on these subjects since their inception. Superman was promoting jingoism and war propaganda back in the 40s and telling us to [redacted due to horrible offensive language and caricatures of Japanese people]

I guess I'm the only one who remembers when DC put out a comic series during the 2008 election and had Wonder Woman and Lois Lane endorsing the Republican party. Comic characters and politics ain't new lol.


The stakes are higher now than they were then, imagine having a so-called 'billionaire buddy' that can control the media at 'dear leader's' request on top of 'dear leader' having an entire arsenal of nuclear warheads at their fingertips should a country displease them. That is the 'nightmare scenario' we are currently going through.


Last edited by Cypher997 on Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2032
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:41 pm Reply with quote
Slop Slop no Mi wrote:
penguintruth wrote:
Great, now the fascists will have their claws in DC. Watch Superman defend ICE now. Batman will glaze Israel. Wonder Woman will become a trad wife. It sickens me.


Are we really doing the "oh great, now comic books are going to be political" thing as if they haven't touched on these subjects since their inception. Superman was promoting jingoism and war propaganda back in the 40s and telling us to [redacted due to horrible offensive language and caricatures of Japanese people]

I guess I'm the only one who remembers when DC put out a comic series during the 2008 election and had Wonder Woman and Lois Lane endorsing the Republican party. Comic characters and politics ain't new lol.


Haha, you LOL'd at your own joke. Very funny.

The point isn't that comics are going to get political again, but get political in a bad way.

You either understand that or you're deliberately obtuse.
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ZelosZoidberg



Joined: 23 May 2018
Posts: 1084
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:42 pm Reply with quote
Beatdigga wrote:
Netflix bowing out seems to be a calculated move to watch as Paramount buys Warner, then drowns in a ton of debt. I can’t approve of either merger, but it seems savvy if the plan works.
Yeah that's my thinking too. Paramount will collapse under it's own weight and Netflix will swoop in for the remainder of it's corpse. Paramount is giving them 2.8 billion for the backout fee so it's a win for them playing the long game.

Short game, Holy **** we are screwed.
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Meowtain Duwu



Joined: 11 May 2021
Posts: 190
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:52 pm Reply with quote
Ugh, this whole situation is so exhausting… can we please go a year without creating larger and larger media conglomerates?!?!
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Cypher997



Joined: 08 Apr 2025
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:57 pm Reply with quote
Meowtain Duwu wrote:
Ugh, this whole situation is so exhausting… can we please go a year without creating larger and larger media conglomerates?!?!


Unfortunately, it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. The US essentially 'de-fanged' anything related to antitrust law enforcement, not sure about how it can play out internationally as IANAL (I am not a lawyer) with regards to international antitrust.
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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 8241
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 10:38 pm Reply with quote
I want to add something else to my post above. 8 days ago it was reported by Variety that Warner Brothers staffers and rank and file have said they supported Netflix's takeover of WB-Discovery rather then being controlled by Paramount. I don't know why Netflix back off on this meanwhile at the same time Paramount has reported a big profit loss for Q4. Also, even though Paramount offer higher bid for Warner Bros-Discovery, it still has to go through multiple approvals, I'm not talking only about US Department of Justice, and FTC approval. There's need to be an approval also from California's regulation too where both companies are located, and the attorney general of California, Rob Bonta tweeted this many minutes ago.

Rob Bonta, AG of California on Twitter/X wrote:
Paramount/Warner Bros is not a done deal.

These two Hollywood titans have not cleared regulatory scrutiny — the California Department of Justice has an open investigation, and we intend to be vigorous in our review.


So that's another wall that could still prevent CBS/Paramount from absorbing Warner-Discovery. So the merging could failed in the end.

EDIT: I just found out that Attorney General Bonta posted this press release 6 days ago regarding any merger involving WB-Discovery, and he said it clearly:

Office of California Attorney General wrote:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement regarding the proposed purchase of Warner Bros. by either Paramount or Netflix — all three are among the top mass media and entertainment companies. These proposals have been met with concerns that they could increase market concentration, reduce competition, hurt workers in the media industry, and limit creative diversity.

Further consolidation in markets that are central to American economic life does not serve our economy, consumers, or competition well. In fact, consolidation of markets has led to increased unaffordability, a loss of good-paying job opportunities, and fewer choices for consumers,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The film and entertainment industry in California not only has historical importance to our state, it also is a critical sector that buoys the state's economy of California and touches the lives of Americans daily. The proposed Warner Brothers transactions must receive a full and robust review, and California is taking a very close look. We are committed to fighting market consolidation that we find unlawful.


Also, I want to include this article from Deadline Hollywood that backs up what AG Bonta's tweet and press release. So in other words, this merger could be dead even before it reached the California AG's desk.


Last edited by mdo7 on Thu Feb 26, 2026 11:02 pm; edited 2 times in total
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