Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav loving the ‘power’ among

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav loving the ‘power’ among

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav believes there’s “a lot of big [male] energy” among potential bidders for his media empire – sufficient that he still believes he can promote it for as a lot as $70 billion, or round $30 a share, On The Money has discovered.

We are, after all, a household newspaper, therefore the parenthetical on the quote. Plus this might be just wishful considering. Keep in thoughts, any quantity with a “3” in entrance of it might be a stiff premium to the $23.50 a share provide by Paramount Skydance’s David Ellison. Paramount, meanwhile, is price just $56 billion, or round $23 a share.

But Zas, as he’s recognized in media circles, is boasting of the curiosity he’s getting for WBD, with its top ranked studio, No. 3 streaming service, HBO and TGB, to not point out the IP that a purchaser would personal of reveals like “Harry Potter” and “The Sopranos” that will be retrofitted in the age of AI. 

WBD CEO David Zaslavwas honored by the Simon Wiesenthal Foundation as he seeks to promote his media empire. Steven Spielberg, left, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Oprah Winfery and David Geffen. Jack Forbes / NY Post Design

The “energy” was on full show last Thursday when Zaslav was honored by the Simon Wiesenthal Foundation, receiving its humanitarian award for his work combating antisemitism. Attendees included Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Oprah to call a few. 

Also noticed had been gamers eying a bid for WBD. Among them: David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance together with Makan Delrahim, his top lawyer and former Trump DOJ antitrust chief who shall be navigating the DC regulatory shoals. 

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Likewise in attendance: Ted Sarandos of Netflix, which as we first reported, is all in favour of WBD’s streaming service and its studio as a approach to not should build certainly one of its personal.

Zas gave an impassioned speech about his household (he met his future spouse at shul) and the way many of them perished during the holocaust in Poland, just round the time of the Warsaw rebellion. He then gave a tribute to TGB reporters for telling “stories” that matter.

Steven Spielberg, Zaslav and Jeffrey Katzenberg at last week’s event at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Beverly Hills. Getty Images for Simon Wiesenthal Center

The sale of WBD infused a lot of the desk chatter before and after the tributes, and the approach Zas is speaking, the “male energy” is still going strong. As we first reported, Brian Roberts of Comcast is , seemingly unfazed, at the very least for now, by the animus he faces from the Trump White House for working the MAGA-hating cable channel MSNBC.

Roberts is attempting to cozy as much as Trump; he takes warmth from his left-wing viewers for a multi-million-dollar donation to fund Trump’s new White House ballroom. As his people are fast to point out, Comcast is now spinning MSNBC and the remainder of its cable properties right into a new company.

Zas also thinks Apple and Amazon might purchase elements of WBD.

That brings us to David Ellison, the film producer son of mega billionaire and Trump pal, Larry Ellison. David, just 42 years previous, is seeking to build perhaps the largest media empire in the world. Since his takeover of Paramount, he has been squeezing the lefty-bias out of the company, significantly at CBS. Journalist Bari Weiss is now in cost and exit visas are being issued to expertise who don’t need to get with the new program.

Yes, The Donald would like Paramount Skydance shopping for every media company in existence. But Zas believes there are people at DOJ antitrust – non-political staffers who’ve a big say in regulatory approval – who would possibly properly greenlight even Comcast profitable a bidding conflict because without the cable properties it’s tough to make a sound antitrust case that can stand up to a courtroom challenge. 

All of which Zas hopes will stress Ellison — who’s best suited to purchase WBD given the financial institution of his previous man and the relationship with Trump — to extend his bid considerably. Or as one media govt put it: Zas “still thinks the final bid will have a ‘3’ in it. He loves the certain type of energy in the room.”

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