Netflix prepares all-cash offer for Warner Bros Discovery

The move, first reported by Bloomberg, is meant to speed up a deal in the face of stiff competition from rival bidder Paramount Skydance and to make it more palatable to WBD shareholders.

Under the original deal, Netflix bid $82.7bn for WBD, offering WBD shareholders $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix common stock. However, since the company’s pursuit of WBD began in October, Netflix shares have lost about a quarter of their value.

If Netflix were to make its offer all-cash, a WBD shareholder vote on the deal could take place as early as late February or early March, rather than in spring or summer as expected. Deals comprised of stock typically take longer.

The news came just days after Paramount Skydance said it was suing WBD and CEO David Zaslav to seek more information about why the company’s board continues to reject its $108.4bn takeover offer in favour of Netflix.

Paramount’s bid has been backstopped by a personal $40bn guarantee by Larry Ellison, a Co-Founder of Oracle.

US President Donald Trump recently added his voice to concerns about Netflix's planned $83bn deal to buy Warner Bros Discovery. Discover more here.