Sony Reportedly in Talks to Join a Bid to Buy Paramount

[Dead2009]

https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-re...-buy-paramount

Sony is reportedly in talks to join a joint bid with investment firm Apollo Global Management to acquire Paramount, according to an article from the New York Times today.

Per the report, Sony and Apollo Global Management have not yet submitted an official bid, but Sony chief executive Tony Vinciquerra held conversations with the investment firm last week. The terms of the possible bid are still apparently being worked out, but it would essentially offer cash for shares of Paramount, "in effect taking the company private through a joint venture."

The report adds that, if a bid and subsequent acquisition goes through, Sony would likely absorb Paramount's operations and brand it as a label of its own media empire. In addition to Paramount Pictures, the Paramount umbrella includes networks like Nickelodeon, Showtime, MTV, Comedy Central and - perhaps most notably - CBS, as well as Paramount+. In that, Paramount boasts IP like Spongebob Squarepants, Top Gun, Yellowstone, and the Sonic the Hedgehog films.

As Bloomberg, which also reported the news, points out, Sony is the only major entertainment studio without a general streaming service. With that in mind, it's easy to see why Paramount and its vast array of linear TV channels might be appealing for the company.

Today's report comes not long after National Amusements, Paramount's controlling company, signed off on a deal that would merge Paramount with Skydance Media, the production company behind movies like Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Late last year, reports emerged that Warner Bros. executives had also met with Paramount Pictures to talk about the possibility of a merger. We haven't, however, heard more about those talks since then.

Paramount shares shot up 12% in the wake of the news in after-hours trading today.

[stevea]

I'd cheer for Warner to get Paramount; then there might be a chance to get some of those Paramount TV assets released thru the Warner Archive to the admittedly waning home media market.

[Hawkee]

When you get the general picture there are two companies that are huge in TV and movies and those two companies are Paramount and Sony and when you look at it Sony has spun-off and started film companies and TV companies such as Colombia Pictures Sony Pictures Columbia Television Sony Television and Tri-Star Pictures while Paramount has Paramount Films MTV Films Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Television and when you really look at it from a different vision those two companies are first and second to Warner Bros in TV and films because Sony will put it's hands on anything you see and if it wasn't for Columbia and CBS Sony would've just made electronics. And if Sony bought Paramount you can bet all the Columbia and Tri-Star produced films would be added to Paramount+ because if it were to happen Paramount+ would get a big boost in subscribers because everyone wants to see the entire Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures film library on Paramount+. And not only that if Sony buys Paramount if it comes true Paramount will most likely buy the game shows of Sony such as Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy and most likely Paramount+ will add reruns of Jeopardy with Alex Trebek and also add Wheel Of Fortune to Paramount+. But in the movie division this may be a smart and wise move that will save Paramount from going belly up