PARAMOUNT ENHANCES ITS SUPERIOR $30 PER SHARE ALL-CASH OFFER FOR WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY AND PROVIDES UPDATE ON REGULATORY PROGRESS
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Paramount's $30 per share, all-cash offer provides superior value and greater regulatory certainty than Netflix's sliding scale merger consideration which, according to WBD's own preliminary proxy statement filed with theSEC onFebruary 9 , ranges from a minimum of$21.23 to a maximum of$27.75 per share in cash (depending on debt levels on Discovery Global at the time of separation) -
Paramount has enhanced its offer with a$0.25 per share "ticking fee," payable to WBD shareholders for each quarter its transaction has not closed beyondDecember 31, 2026 , underscoringParamount's confidence in the speed and certainty of regulatory approval for its transaction -
Paramount will fund$2.8 billion termination fee payable to Netflix and offers solutions to WBD's debt financing costs and obligations -
Paramount complied onFebruary 9, 2026 with the DOJ's Second Request for Information related to its all-cash tender offer to purchase shares ofWarner Bros. Discovery -
Paramount also secured clearance for its tender offer from the foreign investment authorities inGermany onJanuary 27, 2026 - Letter to the WBD Board of Directors details
Paramount's amended offer and urges the Board to exercise its contractual right to negotiate withParamount by declaring that the amended offer could reasonably be expected to result in a superior proposal -
Paramount reiterates intention to solicit proxies against approval of Netflix transaction at WBD special shareholder meeting - PARAMOUNT URGES WBD SHAREHOLDERS TO REGISTER THEIR PREFERENCE FOR PARAMOUNT'S SUPERIOR OFFER WITH THE WBD BOARD OF DIRECTORS BY TENDERING THEIR SHARES TODAY
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Ticking fee: To underscore confidence in the speed and certainty of its regulatory pathway,
Paramount is adding an incremental cash consideration to WBD shareholders of$0.25 per share – equivalent to approximately$650 million cash value each quarter – for every quarter the transaction is not closed beyondDecember 31, 2026 . -
Termination fee:
Paramount will fund the payment of the$2.8 billion termination fee due to Netflix concurrent with the termination of the Netflix agreement as set forth in the revised proposed merger agreement filed with the amended tender offer. -
Debt financing cost:
Paramount will eliminate WBD's potential$1.5 billion financing cost associated with its debt exchange offer by fully backstopping an exchange offer that relieves WBD of its contractual bondholder obligations.Paramount will fully reimburse WBD's shareholders for the$1.5 billion fee, without reduction to the separate$5.8 billion reverse termination fee, in the unlikely event that (i) the exchange is not successful, and (ii) theParamount transaction does not close. -
Bridge loan refinancing: If WBD's financing sources will not extend the maturity of WBD's existing
$15 billion bridge loan,Paramount's debt financing sources are fully prepared to do so (with any incremental costs covered byParamount ). Alternatively,Paramount will permit WBD to structure permanent financing in any way it chooses so long as the debt is redeemable at a commercially reasonable cost. -
Interim operating covenants:
Paramount will provide WBD flexibility between signing and closing, including by matching any comparable Netflix interim operating covenants. -
Discovery Global Business Protections: To provide WBD shareholders further certainty of closing,
Paramount is open to discussing with the WBD Board of Directors contractual solutions to account for the possibility of continuing deteriorating financial performance beyond what WBD is currently projecting for its linear network business. -
Fully Financed Offer with No Financing Condition:
Paramount's amended offer is fully financed by an increased$43.6 billion of equity commitments from theEllison Family andRedBird Capital Partners and$54.0 billion of debt commitments fromBank of America , Citigroup and Apollo. -
Personal Guarantee from
Larry Ellison : As withParamount's December 22 offer,Paramount's financing includes an irrevocable personal guarantee fromLarry Ellison of$43.3 billion , covering the equity financing forParamount's amended offer as well any damages claims againstParamount . -
Netflix's Uncertain Range of Cash Plus Equity in the Declining Discovery Global: In sharp contrast to the value and regulatory certainty provided byParamount's offer, the Netflix deal asks WBD shareholders to approve a transaction where they do not have any idea how much actual cash consideration they will receive, since it is predicated upon the financial condition of Discovery Global at the time of separation and its resulting debt capacity.
Under the Netflix merger agreement, WBD would need to place$17 billion in debt on Discovery Global at time of separation to achieve the high end of the merger consideration range, if the separation were to occur onJune 30, 2026 . WBD has not provided WBD shareholders any financial information about Discovery Global to demonstrate that Discovery Global could support that quantum of debt.
Discovery Global's closest comparable company, Versant Media, debuted this January with ~1.25x net leverage. Versant began trading at ~4.5x EV / EBITDA and has since seen its multiple contract to ~3.5x EV / EBITDA. At this valuation multiple, Discovery Global would have no equity value. For reference, WBD's own financial advisors produced a discounted cash flow analysis that yielded a low of just72 cents per share.
Based uponParamount's analysis, if Discovery Global is spun off with leverage in line with Versant, the Netflix cash consideration would be reduced to$23.20 per share. Assuming both a multiple and leverage ratio in line with Versant, Discovery Global's equity value would be~$3.55 per share, resulting in a total package value of only~$26.75 for the Netflix deal.Paramount's $30.00 all-cash offer is 12% higher.
Separately,
WBD is racing against the clock to force its shareholders to vote without full financial disclosure regarding the financial condition of Discovery Global, even though that will determine the amount of cash merger consideration they will receive from Netflix and would provide greater certainty on how to value the stub equity.
WBD accelerated its timetable after
WBD shareholders deserve a real choice and the truth about how the two transactions compare.
Dear Directors:
- To underscore our confidence in our ability to secure antitrust clearance and the progress we have made to date, we have added a
$0.25 per share "ticking fee" in incremental cash to WBD shareholders for every quarter that our transaction has not closed, beginning to accrue onJanuary 1, 2027 . This is equivalent to approximately$650 million each quarter.- On
February 9, 2026 ,Paramount certified that it has substantially complied with theU.S. Department of Justice's "second request" for information related to its tender offer to acquire WBD shares. Paramount continues to engage constructively with antitrust enforcers and other regulators around the world to expeditiously secure the regulatory clearances and approvals needed for its tender offer.- Separately,
Paramount already has secured clearance for its tender offer from the foreign investment authorities inGermany onJanuary 27, 2026 .
- On
- In response to the concerns you raised publicly regarding our
December 22 offer, we are introducing solutions which completely eliminate the$1.79 per share of value leakage WBD cited shouldParamount's transaction not close:- We will fully and promptly fund the
$2.8 billion break fee to Netflix. - We will fully reimburse the potential
$1.5 billion cost for your debt refinancing, if incurred. - We have identified straightforward solutions that provide certainty regarding the refinancing of WBD's bridge loan.
- Finally, if you have any latent concern that financial under-performance due to renewal of affiliate contracts at Discovery Global could cause us to declare a Material Adverse Effect under the proposed
Paramount /WBD merger agreement and terminate theParamount transaction, we would be prepared to discuss contractual solutions to address this.
- We will fully and promptly fund the
- Our Revised Offer is fully financed by
$43.6 billion of equity commitments from theEllison Family andRedBird Capital Partners and$54.0 billion of debt commitments fromBank of America , Citigroup and Apollo.1- These equity commitments also cover the cash enhancements to certainty listed above, including reserves for the ticking fee, the
$2.8 billion break fee to Netflix, the$1.5 billion debt refinancing cost (if incurred) and any incremental breakage costs. As with ourDecember 22 offer,Larry Ellison has provided an irrevocable personal guarantee, now of$43.3 billion , on the equity financing for our Revised Offer, the cash enhancements to certainty and any damages claims againstParamount .
- These equity commitments also cover the cash enhancements to certainty listed above, including reserves for the ticking fee, the
While we have tried to be as constructive as possible in formulating these solutions, several of these items would benefit from collaborative discussion to finalize. If granted a short window of engagement, we will work with you to refine these solutions to ensure they address any and all of your concerns.
Our goal is to offer superior value and certainty to WBD shareholders -- our Revised Offer accomplishes both of these objectives.
Terms of Revised Proposal
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Offer Value:
Each outstanding share of WBD Series A common stock will be exchanged for
$30.00 per share in cash.- This reflects a total equity value of
$78 billion and enterprise value of$108 billion , including the assumption of net debt and noncontrolling interest.
- This reflects a total equity value of
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Ticking Fee:
Paramount will offer WBD shareholders an incremental "ticking fee" to demonstrate its confidence in obtaining regulatory approval.- As described below,
Paramount has made substantial progress towards securing unconditional clearances from key antitrust agencies around the world. - To underscore our confidence in the speed and certainty of our regulatory pathway, we will offer WBD incremental cash consideration of
$0.25 per share each quarter betweenJanuary 1, 2027 , and the consummation of theParamount transaction. This is equivalent to approximately$650 million each quarter. - For the avoidance of doubt, if payable, this ticking fee will increase the cash consideration to WBD shareholders above our proposed
$30.00 per share.
- As described below,
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Break Fee:
Paramount will fund WBD's$2.8 billion break fee as a separate payment incremental to our cash offer price.Paramount will fund the payment of the$2.8 billion break fee due to Netflix concurrently with the termination of the Netflix agreement.- This is laid out in our revised merger agreement that is filed with our Revised Offer.
- There will be no value leakage for WBD shareholders, and such payment will not reduce our separate
$5.8 billion reverse termination fee.
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Debt Financing Cost:
Paramount will eliminate WBD's potential$1.5 billion financing cost associated with its debt exchange offer.- WBD has expressed concerns that the terms of
Paramount's December 22 offer would unduly restrict WBD's ability to execute a debt exchange offer WBD must complete prior toDecember 30, 2026 to avoid paying bondholders a$1.5 billion fee. - We have a simple solution to this concern that is both (i) risk-free and costless to WBD and (ii) beneficial to creditors:
Paramount will agree to fully backstop an exchange offer that relieves WBD of its contractual bondholder obligations. This backstopped exchange results in no risk and no value leakage to WBD shareholders while delivering substantial value to WBD bondholders.- This exchange will facilitate the proposed
Paramount transaction while leaving bondholders and WBD no worse off in the unlikely event that theParamount transaction fails to close. - We are extremely confident that this will be successful, and therefore we will agree to fully reimburse WBD's shareholders for the
$1.5 billion fee, without reduction to our separate$5.8 billion reverse termination fee, in the unlikely event that (i) the exchange is not successful, and (ii) theParamount transaction does not close. - We believe bondholders will strongly prefer our proposal, which is supported by $43+ billion of new cash equity in a scaled and broadly diversified media enterprise, to bondholders' current expected position of a second lien on the sub-scale, declining Discovery Global standalone business with uncertain equity value.
- WBD has expressed concerns that the terms of
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Discovery Global Performance Uncertainty:
We are prepared to address any concerns WBD has regarding the impact of Discovery Global's performance on closing certainty.
- To the extent that WBD is concerned that financial under-performance at WBD's Global Networks business could cause
Paramount to declare a Material Adverse Effect under the proposedParamount /WBD merger agreement and terminate theParamount transaction,Paramount is prepared to discuss contractual solutions to address this concern.
- To the extent that WBD is concerned that financial under-performance at WBD's Global Networks business could cause
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Bridge Loan Refinancing:
Paramount will provide flexibility for WBD to refinance its existing$15 billion bridge loan.- WBD has expressed concern that, should a transaction with
Paramount fail to close, WBD will face uncertain future costs and terms to refinance the$15 billion short-term bridge loan it put in place last summer. We have multiple solutions to address this concern:- WBD's current bridge lenders, led by J.P. Morgan, could simply extend the maturity of this facility.
- To the extent WBD's current lenders are not prepared to do this,
Paramount's debt financing sources --Bank of America , Citigroup and Apollo -- are fully prepared to tailor a solution to refinance this bridge loan and extend the maturity to facilitate this transaction. - Our lenders have already provided much larger commitments under
Paramount's $54 billion financing package that will refinance WBD's bridge loan at the close of theParamount transaction. - For the avoidance of doubt, any refinancing costs in this scenario would be covered by
Paramount – and there would be no value leakage for WBD shareholders.
- Alternatively, we will permit WBD to structure the permanent financing in any way it chooses so long as the debt is redeemable at a commercially reasonable cost upon the close of the
Paramount transaction. This is standard in strategic financings of this type. - Ultimately, we are willing to engage in a collaborative discussion around the amount of "breakage costs" (e.g., call protection) we would be willing to bear on any new debt put in place by WBD.
- WBD has expressed concern that, should a transaction with
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Interim Operating Covenants:
Paramount will provide WBD flexibility between signing and closing, including by matching any comparable Netflix interim operating covenants.Paramount commits to match any comparable interim operating covenants to which Netflix and WBD agreed.- We do recognize that certain terms may not be comparable given the difference in structure between our two deals.
Paramount will be constructive and flexible to provide WBD significant latitude to run its business between signing and closing.
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Committed Debt Financing:
Paramount's debt financing sources have reaffirmed their commitments and pose no closing risk.- WBD raised the certainty of our debt financing as a significant issue in its public response to our
December 22 offer. Our previous binding merger agreement contained no financing condition and obligated us to close regardless of the availability of financing. Bank of America , Citigroup and Apollo have confirmed that the commitment letter previously delivered by them to provide$54.0 billion of debt financing to fundParamount's proposed acquisition of WBD, regardless of future market conditions, remains in full force and effect.- These are global sophisticated financial institutions, with decades of experience financing companies and borrowers in some of history's largest, most complicated transactions.
- We would also note that, including run-rate cost synergies, we estimate our net leverage at close will be 4.4x, with a clear path to rapidly de-levering in the near- to medium-term.
- WBD raised the certainty of our debt financing as a significant issue in its public response to our
|
Sources of Capital |
$bn |
|
Cash Funding from the |
|
|
New Transaction Debt |
38.6 |
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WBD Bridge Loan Refinancing |
15.4 |
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Cash from Combined Balance Sheet |
3.5 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
Uses of Capital |
$bn |
|
WBD Equity Purchase Price |
|
|
WBD Bridge Loan Refinancing |
15.4 |
|
Funding of WBD Break Fee to Netflix |
2.8 |
|
Minimum Balance Sheet Cash at Close |
5.0 |
|
Total |
|
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Regulatory Approvals:
Since the announcement of our tender offer, we have engaged in proactive and constructive communications with key antitrust regulatory agencies around the world to secure needed clearances as soon as possible.
- We have already made substantial progress in our efforts in securing those clearances, including having held meetings with and providing customary information to (i) the
Antitrust Division of theU.S. Department of Justice , (ii) theEuropean Commission , and (iii) the Competition and Markets Authority in theUnited Kingdom , among other bodies. - On
February 9, 2026 ,Paramount certified to theU.S. Department of Justice that it has substantially complied with the DOJ's "second request" for information related to its tender offer to acquire WBD shares. Paramount has secured clearance for its tender offer from the foreign investment authorities inGermany onJanuary 27, 2026 .- We remain confident we can navigate the necessary clearances quickly and efficiently given the
Paramount transaction does not raise any competition concerns. - The same cannot be said of Netflix, which is dominant in streaming video on demand in the US, EU and dozens of other jurisdictions, and the Netflix transaction will face a long and uncertain regulatory approval process, with a very low likelihood of clearance in any substantial jurisdiction.
- We have already made substantial progress in our efforts in securing those clearances, including having held meetings with and providing customary information to (i) the
Our Superior Proposal
We have always believed our previous offer was superior to the Netflix transaction. With these above described enhancements to value and certainty, our Revised Offer is undoubtedly superior to the Netflix transaction:
- Our
$30.00 all cash Revised Offer (before any ticking consideration) represents more cash to WBD shareholders than the headline$27.75 per share offered under the Netflix transaction, which is subject to an uncertain reduction based upon the net debt allocated to the rapidly declining Discovery Global. - We believe the spin-off of Discovery Global has negligible equity value, given the
~$17 billion of debt that WBD plans to allocate to the business. This is an unsustainable amount to support for a cable networks business anticipating a 22% EBITDA decline from 2026 to 2027 and continued double digit declines thereafter. - As a result, we expect some portion of this debt to be reallocated to the Studio & Streaming business, which in the Netflix transaction would trigger a "debt adjustment mechanism" whereby cash consideration to WBD shareholders will be reduced on a 1:1 basis.
- Based on where the most relevant comparable company, Versant, currently trades, at ~3.5x forward EBITDA while capitalized at 1.25x net leverage, it is likely that approximately
~$12 billion of proposed Discovery Global debt will have to be transferred to the Studio & Streaming business to reduce leverage at Discovery Global from the proposed 4.2x level to a more realistic 1.25x level as borne out by the Versant comparable.2 - This debt reallocation would result in a
~$12 billion dollar -for-dollar reduction in cash proceeds to WBD shareholders, reducing the headline$27.75 per share Netflix transaction price by$4.55 per share, thereby reducing the total cash to WBD shareholders by 16% to$23.20 per share.3 - As WBD's own merger proxy acknowledges, the Netflix transaction leaves WBD shareholders with significant uncertainty regarding how much cash they will receive and how much exposure they will have to the declining Discovery Global business. According to WBD's own
February 9 disclosure, the Netflix cash consideration could be as low as$21.23 per share. - Additionally, considering the
Paramount transaction's higher certainty and shorter path to close – relative to a Netflix transaction that faces substantial regulatory scrutiny and a long, drawn-out timeline – our$30.00 all-cash Revised Offer reflects an even greater premium to$27.75 on a present value basis. The present value of the$27.75 headline Netflix transaction price is reduced to~$26.45 if the Netflix transaction takes just six months longer to close – a~$1.30 per share reduction to WBD shareholders.4 - In other words, after accounting for the time value of money, our
$30.00 all-cash Revised Offer should be compared to~$26.45 in cash consideration from Netflix, not$27.75 , even if you disregard the net debt adjustment outlined above. And unlike the Netflix transaction, which exposes WBD shareholders to this value destruction over the course of its long and uncertain approval timeline, our Revised Offer compensates WBD shareholders for any unanticipated delay in closing through an incremental ticking fee.
We note that, to engage with
We appreciate this has been a long and involved process for all parties. We believe we have a path to bring this to a rapid conclusion that would be in the best interests of WBD and its shareholders. We hope you will decide to engage with us to enable that value-maximizing outcome.
Sincerely,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Shareholders with questions about how to vote their WBD shares AGAINST the inferior Netflix transaction may contact
The tender offer statement and related materials have been filed with the
PARAMOUNT URGES WBD SHAREHOLDERS TO REGISTER THEIR PREFERENCE FOR PARAMOUNT'S SUPERIOR OFFER WITH THE WBD BOARD OF DIRECTORS BY TENDERING THEIR SHARES TODAY.
WBD shareholders and other interested parties can find additional information about
About
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains both historical and forward-looking statements, including statements related to
Additional Information
This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell securities. This communication relates to a proposal that
PARAMOUNT STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF WBD TO READ THE SPECIAL MEETING PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING INFORMATION RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANTS. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE
Participants in the Solicitation
The participants in the Netflix Merger Solicitation are expected to be
Media Contacts:
msz@paramount.com / laura.watson@paramount.com
ParamountSkydance@brunswickgroup.com
dg@gagnierfc.com
Investor Contacts:
kevin.creighton@paramount.com / logan.thomas@paramount.com
(212) 297-0720
Toll-Free: (844) 343-2621
info@okapipartners.com
1 Committed equity funding includes (i)
2 Based on
3 Calculated using a total of 2,612,605,808 shares of WBD Common Stock, per WBD disclosure.
4 Reflects an illustrative 10% discount rate applied to
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