Warner Bros. Discovery mocks Paramount Skydances merger gimmicks as it seeks sweetened bid: sources

Warner Bros.Discovery executives are privately claiming Paramount Skydance’s latest moves to pressure it into a merger amount to “gimmicks” likening Paramount’s maneuvers to a 1960s screwball sitcom and saying the company should instead simply sweeten its offer by a “couple of bucks” if it wants to clinch a deal, On The Money has learned.The chatter comes as the brain trust at Paramount Skydance – run by Hollywood director David Ellison and his mega billionaire father Larry Ellison – announced on Monday that they are launching a proxy fight for control of the board and filing a lawsuit in Delaware to force engagement with its $30-per-share all-cash offer.In response, a senior WBD executives called the lawsuit a “dud,” and “something out of ‘F-Troop,’” a reference to the comedy show about an inept and farcical cavalry regiment in the Wild West.

“These guys have no idea what they’re doing,” the senior WBD executive said.“They want to elect more board members? Well go to shareholders; there’s a process.

In terms of this lawsuit, it’s a joke.It’s like when F-Troop fired the cannon, and the ball just dropped out of the barrel.”The Ellisons’ latest salvo marks a significant escalation in the battle to control WBD, the media conglomerate that at least for now controls the top-notch Warner studio, HBO Max streaming service as well as cable properties CNN, TNT and Discovery.Meanwhile, over the weekend Trump posted on Truth Social an opinion piece headlined “Stop the Netflix Cultural Takeover,” suggesting he isn’t so keen on the streaming giant getting bigger.

Many conservatives have long decried the programming on the streaming giant as pushing culturally progressive themes.Paramount’s last volley via a press release on Monday confirms an early report in The Post that the Ellisons and RedBird were considering something known internally as “DefCon 1” and mounting a legal challenge to the deal.Nevertheless, the reac...