"Paramount Skydance said Tuesday it has improved its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), adding a "ticking fee" to demonstrate confidence in regulatory approval. The move doesn't raise the bid's headline value, which remains an all‑cash hostile offer of USD$30 (£22.20) per WBD share, launched in December. Paramount continues to argue its proposal is superior to WBD's pending tie‑up with Netflix."
"Chief executive David Ellison said the enhanced bid reaffirms Paramount's "strong and unwavering commitment" to deliver full value for shareholders. The ticking fee would pay WBD investors 25 cents per share for every quarter the deal remains uncompleted after the end of 2026 - worth about USD$650m (£481m) each quarter - compensating for delays in receiving approval. Paramount also pledged to cover the USD$2.8bn (£2.07bn) termination fee WBD would owe Netflix if that deal collapses, and to absorb a potential USD$1.5 bn (£1.11bn) refinancing cost of debt."
"Meanwhile, Warner Bros Discovery is set to launch HBO Max in the UK and Ireland on 26th March, marking the first time its full streaming proposition will be available directly to consumers in the market. The rollout brings together content from HBO, Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Bros Television, DC Studios and Max Originals into a single service for UK and Irish audiences. The launch will also see HBO Max added as a subscription channel on Prime Video in the UK."
Paramount Skydance improved its all-cash USD$30-per-share hostile offer for Warner Bros. Discovery by adding a ticking fee to signal confidence in regulatory approval. The ticking fee would pay WBD investors $0.25 per share each quarter the deal remains uncompleted after the end of 2026, about USD$650m per quarter. Paramount pledged to cover a USD$2.8bn termination fee owed to Netflix if that deal collapses and to absorb up to USD$1.5bn in refinancing costs. Warner Bros. Discovery will launch HBO Max in the UK and Ireland on 26 March, consolidating content and adding HBO Max as a Prime Video channel. Alphabet is preparing a rare 100-year sterling bond sale to fund expanded borrowing for AI investment, and Apple and Google have proposed App Store changes following a CMA probe.
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