Warner Bros. Discovery could merge with another entertainment giant: Paramount. Sources say axios that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav held talks Tuesday with Paramount CEO Bob Bakish about a possible merger.
The meeting reportedly took place at Paramount's Times Square headquarters, and the two CEOs discussed how the companies could complement each other. That could include combining Max and Paramount Plus to compete with streaming rivals like Netflix and Disney Plus.
Zaslav also discussed a deal with Shari Redstone, head of Paramount's parent company, National Amusements. axios reports.
We don't yet know if Warner Bros. Discovery would buy Paramount or National Amusements if a merger actually happened, but a source says so. axios that “both options are on the table.” The Federal Trade Commission declined to comment on the potential deal.
A merger would further reduce the number of players in the entertainment and streaming industry after Warner Bros. Discovery just completed its massive merger with Discovery last year.
Update December 20 at 4:43 pm ET: He added that the FTC declined to comment.
