For Paramount, summer living is anything but easy.
Across four of our biggest stories this week, The Ankler examined the company’s paused $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery from every angle:
- The prosecutor determined to stop it
- The monopoly expert who believes Paramount is now more likely than not to lose
- The Wall Street analyst warning that simply keeping the deal alive could become ruinously expensive
- And the poaching beginning at WBD
First, California Attorney General Rob Bonta tells Elaine Low that Paramount should not expect the states challenging the merger to negotiate. “We’re not talking settlement,” he said. “We’re not going to have oligarchs or kings in the economy.”
Then Matt Stoller, the monopoly expert who predicted the states’ intervention months ago, told Richard Rushfield the chances of the deal being blocked are at 60 percent — either in court or because the financing buckles.
MoffettNathanson senior analyst Robert Fishman explained why time itself is Paramount’s enemy. The question for investors, Fishman said, is no longer merely whether the merger closes, but whether Paramount can afford the wait.
And Lesley Goldberg reports that some Warners executives and creatives aren’t waiting around to see whether the deal survives. As one seasoned Hollywood hand put it, anyone there who hasn’t yet had face time with David Ellison is “100 percent taking those meetings.”
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Crowd Pleaser
↑ The Odyssey Is Sold Out Through August — and Theaters Fear an IMAX Trap Matthew Frank talks to cinema owners and execs who worry the premium-format boom could be convincing audiences that regular screens aren’t worth the trip — plus, what Spider-Man’s boffo opening says about the trend.
Series Business
↑ TV in 3: $1B A+E Deal Sets a Price on Cable; Netflix Co-License Spree Plus: Lesley chats with Ride or Die creator Tessa Coates about going from primatology studies to a Prime Video hit.
Rocket Real Estate Frenzy
↑ SpaceX Millionaires Are Coming for L.A. Homes The landmark IPO has agents bracing for bidding wars in a soft market, writes Degen Pener — and Palisades Fire families caught in the middle.
Reel AI
↑ Elon Musk’s Odyssey and the Coming Mockbuster Wave Grok doesn’t need to beat Christopher Nolan, says Erik Barmack. It just needs to ride Universal’s $125 million marketing campaign.
Prestige Junkie
↑ Elliot Page’s Oscar Odyssey; Taking Down Diddy Katey Rich surveys the megahit film’s crowded supporting actor field and speaks with Alexandria Stapleton about her powerful Sean Combs doc series for Netflix.
Plus, Katey chats with Tom Pelphrey about his Emmy-nominated role in the HBO thriller Task:
Obsession Star Inde Navarrette Crashes the Best Actress Race Also: Task and The Gilded Age director Salli Richardson-Whitfield tells Katey about her history-making Emmy noms.
The Wakeup
As everyone dwells on Netflix’s second-season TV woes, Sean McNulty crunches the numbers on the streamer’s tough time with films this summer:
Friday → ☀️ HBO Gets ’90s Courtroom Drama, New Bill Lawrence Comedy
Thursday → ☀️ Hits Push CINEMARK to All-Time High
Wednesday → ☀️ NETFLIX Films’ Hit-less Summer So Far
Tuesday → ☀️ What YOUTUBE’s PEACOCK Deal Actually Means
Sunday → ☀️ Odyssey Blowing Away Oppenheimer With Huge 2nd Weekend
Podcasts
Ankler Agenda
Lesley joins Elaine and Sean to break down the quiet panic inside WBD, and Degen visits to talk about his SpaceX real estate story:
Shows
Monday Morning QBs
The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey joins Sean to explain how Christopher Nolan became Hollywood’s new “alpha” director:
Like & Subscribe
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
↑ What Counts As a Podcast — and How Should Podcasts Be Counted? An Industry Reckoning
The Optionist
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
