Warner Bros. Discovery is trying its darndest to merge, acquire, or otherwise get its collab on with Paramount. According to Axios, David Zaslav had lunch this week with Paramount CEO Bob Bakish. (And if entertainment people are doing lunch this close to Christmas, you know it’s serious.) Zaslav has also met with Shari Redstone, who owns a controlling share of Paramount through National Amusements. “The duo discussed ways their companies could complement one another,†Axios reported. “For example, each company’s main streaming service — Paramount+ and Max — could merge to better rival Netflix and Disney+.†WBD fully acquiring Paramount was also on the table.
But Zaz isn’t the only one with his eyes on the Paramount mountaintop, or at least a crag or two. Byron Allen resubmitted his bid to buy BET and Vh1 from Paramount for $3.5 billion. According to Deadline, Allen put his bid back in when he learned of a deal between BET and CC Capital Partners, a management-led investor group. Allen was one of several moguls to throw their hat in to acquire BET earlier this year. Tyler Perry, and Sean “Diddy†Combs expressed interest in bidding.