The Paramount-Warners Plan They Won’t Say Out Loud

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential merger of Paramount, Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery amidst regulatory concerns and strategic shifts in the entertainment industry.

Talk about whiplash: A week ago, a Netflix–Warner Bros. deal looked likely. Turns out, the winning combo may be… Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery. (Rolls right off the tongue.) That is — if it survives regulatory scrutiny, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta warning that the merger is “not a done deal.” Still, a swirl of questions remains — all driven by a strategy executives aren’t quite saying out loud: cut billions in costs, merge the streaming platforms (creating clear winners and losers), squeeze what’s left of the cable business for cash and use the scale of a combined studio to survive a rapidly shrinking TV ecosystem. And all that Middle East money? Sure, nothing to see here. Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey, Sean McNulty and Lesley Goldberg break it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey, Sean McNulty, Lesley Goldberg

Topics covered

• mergers
• streaming platforms
• cost cutting
• cable business
• regulatory scrutiny
• entertainment industry

Keywords

• merger
• streaming
• Warner Bros.
• Paramount
• cost cutting
• cable business
• regulatory scrutiny

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount, Skydance, Warner Bros. Discovery

More episodes of Ankler Agenda

• The New Podcast Wars: Streaming Now · June 11, 2026 · 31 min
• A24’s ‘Backrooms’ and the Rise of YouTube Filmmakers · June 4, 2026 · 33 min
• Can L.A.’s Next Mayor Save Hollywood? · May 28, 2026 · 33 min
• Spidey, Nolan, Spielberg — Hot Movie Summer Is Here · May 21, 2026 · 30 min
• BONUS EP: Markiplier, M3GAN and the Scary-Smart Business of Horror · May 20, 2026 · 42 min
• TV’s YouTube Era Wags the Upfronts’ Dog · May 14, 2026 · 37 min