Warner Bros. Discovery stock jumped more than 25% Thursday morning after a report that the Larry Ellison-backed Paramount was preparing a cash bid to buy the company that owns HBO, CNN and the Warner Bros. studio.
The Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners acquired Paramount a month ago, and has signaled that it would take bold steps as it tries to rebuild Paramount to its former glory. David Ellison, Larry’s 42-year-old son, serves as chairman and chief executive of Paramount.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount’s bid would be for the entire company, including its movie studio, streaming assets and cable networks. Warner Bros. Discovery is in the process of spinning the cable channels into a separate company, a transaction that Warner Chief Executive David Zaslav said would be complete by next April.
Representatives of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment.
Warner Bros. Discovery stock closed at $12.54 on Wednesday. It had soared to around $16 a share in mid-day trading.
Paramount Skydance shares also climbed 7% to around $16.30.
This is a developing story.
