Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount are in early discussions to merge | Hacker News Reader

Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount are in early discussions to merge

cnbc.com

38 pointsastlouis4410 comments

> Media executives are worried, however, that President Joe Biden’s administration could be hostile to a big media merger.

There are four companies in the US that control most of the media: Disney, Comcast, Warner Bros Discovery, and Paramount. After the merger of Disney and Fox a few years back, further consolidation will be a more difficult sales pitch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_conglomerate#United_Stat...

FWIW, technically Disney bought "21st Century Fox".

Fox is still an independent media company which owns the Fox TV channel, Fox News, and Fox Sports: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Corporation

True, but Nixon administration -> Roger Ailes with his pants around his ankles chasing talent -> Fox News -> Factually incorrect breaking news with Tigger would've been an improvement.

So Disney got all the good parts, and what's left is a steaming pile of crap (though apparently still very popular with a large sector of the US population)?

I wouldn't go quite that far. Disney was forced to divest the Fox Regional Sports networks in the deal because they already owned the ESPN channels and would have caused too much consolidation.

The economies around professional and collegiate sports are nothing to be ignored, especially with the legalization of sports gambling across the US.

Kleptoplutokakistocracy.

The problem is the corruption of a system that cannot be reformed from within because foreign governments pass out gold bars to senators and billionaire crooks want it this way, while the masses have their consent manufactured to believe it's good for them, their neighbors are their "sworn enemies" for being part of the opposing tribe, and everyone else is against them because anomie is for all who are nobodies except celebrities. It's easier for fools and the dumb to believe in the flat Earth, antisemitism, demonize Muslims, or immigrants are coming to replace them rather than be honest: they're lashing out because they don't feel heard, but also that they're not doing anything constructive and hoping for a superhero, a lottery ticket, or a boorish politician to solve their problems for them.

I would propose a M+A Tax graduated at roughly the same rate that income taxes are, the main point being to discourage consolidation.

heh, the reason this is even happening now is that the special tax treatment WBD got at the time WarnerMedia and Discovery merged to make it a tax-free transaction for AT&T is expiring, and now they're eligible to apply it again to a new deal

Not only does the tax code not discourage consolidation, it actually encourages it

Taxes are too passive. I want the FTC to be able to break up companies on an ongoing basis a la standard oil.

Cool, they must be done ruining HBO Max, so it's time to start ruining Paramount.

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