Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Anthony Chen’s Berlinale competition title “We Are All Strangers” has proven to be a hot title, with Paris-based Paradise City Sales locking in distribution partners across the world.

The film made history as the first Singaporean entry ever to compete in Berlin’s main competition section. Among the deals closed are ARP Selection (France), Curzon (U.K. and Ireland), Elastica Films (Spain), Trigon Film (Switzerland), A-One Films (Baltics), Ama Films (Greece), Golden Scene (Hong Kong), Movicloud (Taiwan), Challan (South Korea), PT Falcon (Indonesia) and Moving Turtle (Middle East and North Africa), with additional negotiations still ongoing.

The new film rounds out what Chen has called his “Growing Up” trilogy, a body of work that began with “Ilo Ilo,” which won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, and continued with “Wet Season.” Set in contemporary Singapore, the new film again features Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler, who have appeared throughout the trilogy. Paradise City Sales has represented Chen’s work internationally across all three films, as well as “Drift,” with the films collectively travelling to Cannes, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

The film is written and directed by Chen and produced by Huang Wenhong and Chen for Giraffe Pictures, with Joe Tsai, Arthur Wang and KH Kuok serving as executive producers. Financing comes from the Singapore Film Commission and the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund.

“Dreams swiftly turn to survival strategies in Anthony Chen‘s gentle, perceptive domestic saga, and love isn’t always enough to live on,” wrote Guy Lodge, reviewing the film for Variety. “The film is consistently involving and finally moving, sparked especially by Chen regular Yeo Yann Yann’s wonderful performance as an immigrant outsider in this family and society alike.”

“We’ve long appreciated Anthony’s work, and it’s a pleasure to finally be able to work together on ‘We Are All Strangers,’ a film which has the rare ability to build a deep intimacy with its characters whilst also revealing the heart of a nation,” said Curzon managing director Louisa Dent. “We believe it will be a welcome discovery for audiences in the U.K. and Ireland.”

“We are incredibly proud to work with Anthony Chen and to bring his deeply moving and universal cinema to Spanish audiences,” said Elastica director Enrique Costa. “With ‘We Are All Strangers,’ he crafts a powerful and emotionally resonant portrait of the family we are born into and the family we choose, confirming his place as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary cinema.”

Other titles on the Paradise City Sales slate include Moshe Rosenthal’s “Tell Me Everything,” in Sundance’s World Cinema Competition; Warwick Thornton’s “Wolfram,” competing at the Berlinale; and Mees Peijnenburg’s “A Family,” which picked up a Special Mention in the Berlinale Generation section.

As the London TV Screenings kick into high gear, Banijay Rights is set to bring to market upcoming BBC title “The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley,” a new six-part docuseries separating truth behind some of the most hyped health claims on social media. 

The series was announced by the BBC last September, but Banijay Rights acquisition of global distribution rights is much for recent, in time for its LTVS showcase on Feb. 25. 

The pick-up also marks Banijay’s first partnership with London and U.S.-based Nutopia, founded in 2009 by Jane Root, a leading premium docuseries producer behind “America: The Story of Us” and “Limitless With Chris Hemsworth.”

“The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley” sees Dooley working with doctors and scientists to expose the truth, if there is any, behind what Banijay describes as the internet’s most hyped medical claims, from fitness boosters to pain beaters, youth elixirs to fat busters. 

“With social media playing an increasing role in all our lives, ‘The Clickbait Clinic’s’ final verdict could be life changing… or lifesaving,” says Banijay Rights.

Headed by Root, a former BBC Two controller (1999-2004) and president of Discovery Networks (2004-07), Nutopia’s factual series event premium docuseries may be celebrity-narrated but seek to trace the forces shaping our world, as in “Pole to Pole With Will Smith,” currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. 

In like fashion, “The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley” will also seek to figure out how a trend went viral, meet the key influencers driving the buzz and how online trends are shaping our health choices – at a time when 1 in 3 Brits now turn to social media for health advice, Fremantle Rights noted Tuesday.

“‘The Clickbait Clinic’ is a bold, timely and hugely engaging series that takes a deep dive into some of the internet’s most extreme and obscure health claims,” said Nicola Davey, VP acquisitions, Banijay Rights. 

She added: “Speaking directly to the digital culture shaping our lives, this programme unpacks the mechanics of online information in a way that feels accessible, globally relevant and entertaining.”

“‘The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley’ taps into a global shift in how we make decisions about our health – in a world where social media and viral ‘miracle’ claims travel fast,” noted Simon Willgoss, Nutopia Chief Creative Officer. “It’s a subject that resonates everywhere, and Stacey tackles it with a mix of proper rigour, curiosity and humour that gives it mainstream appeal. It’s a great first partnership with Banijay Rights on global distribution, and we can’t wait to share the series with audiences around the world.”

With a relatively short turn-around time documentaries can tap into cutting-edge Zeitgeist much more easily than scripted fare.  Presented Sunday, an Ampere Analysis report revealed that commissioning of documentaries is 15% down from peak TV, which isn’t anything as much as scripted TV, which has plunged 25%. Of doc types, the only to register an increase last year over 2024 is medical & health and biography. 

The new docuseries “epitomises the depth and range that sits in Banijay Entertainment’s multi-genre catalogue as we head into The London TV screenings,” said Davey.

“The Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley” joins a Banijay Entertainment’s non-scripted (finished tape) line-up for The London TV Screenings 2026 takes in, as revealed by Variety, “America’s Toughest Jails” for Discovery from Lucky 8; Channel 4’s “Mission To Space with Francis Bourgeois” from Shine TV; “Bear Grylls – Wild Reckoning” for BBC One, BBC Cymru Wales and iPlayer from Tŷ’r Ddraig (part of Workerbee); Emmy-winning documentary collection “Super Bowl Champions” from NFL Films and BD4; and CNN Original series Eva Longoria: “Searching for France” from Hyphenate Media Group. 

Global colossus Fremantle has added to its vast entertainment portfolio, securing worldwide production, development and distribution rights outside Japan to “Special Delivery,” a whacky fun comedy game show co-developed by Amsterdam’s Blue Circle, a Fremantle company, and Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), the top Japanese producer and broadcaster.

Fremantle will bring “Special Delivery” to market at this week’s London TV Screenings, the biggest European TV sales platform of the first six months of the year, where the RTL-owned Super Indie hold a Feb. 27 upfront.

Billed by Fremantle as an “irresistibly fun comedy competition,” “Special Delivery” plays to Japan’s strength as an format export power, Variety noted Monday: “high-concept entertainment formats built around simple game mechanics.” 

Here, comedians are sent on hilarious missions to try to deliver anything, anywhere, anyhow. The parcels they collect at Delivery HQ are “absurd,” the destinations “impossible” and the conditions “ridiculous.” The net result is “unpredictable deliveries that create maximum mischief, laugh-out-moments and instantly visual, viral-ready comedy,” Fremantle noted Tuesday, announcing its deal on “Special Delivery.”

Commissioned for TBS in Japan, “Special Delivery” bowed this January in Japan, where its debut episode ranked No. 1 in its time slot, scoring a 28% audience share. 

Played by celebrities in Japan, the format can be adapted to different casting approaches worldwide, Fremantle noted.

“As a broadcaster known for bold, inventive comedy, TBS has been an exceptional creative partner, and together we’ve shaped a format that harnesses the originality of Japanese entertainment into something with clear global potential,” said Vasha Wallace, Fremantle EVP global acquisitions and development, global entertainment. “There is a strong appetite worldwide for big, visual, laugh-out-loud comedy, and ‘Special Delivery’ has all the ingredients to travel and connect with audiences beyond Japan,” she added. 

“We’re delighted to partner with Fremantle on ‘Special Delivery,’ and proud of what the teams have created together in Japan. The format’s bold physical comedy and playful competition feel universally entertaining, and we’re excited to see the format reach audiences internationally,” observed Kentaro Fukuda, head of global IP studio at TBS.

Blue Circle is a 100% Fremantle subsidiary which is one of the biggest and most prolific Netherlands specialists in entertainment, daily show, sports and lifestyle programming, behind Dutch reversions of “Dancing With the Stars,” “Idols” and “X-Factor.”

TBS ranks as one of Japan’s biggest media conglomerates, with a bevy of international format breakouts, such as game show “Takeshi’s Castle,” sports entertainment reality format “Ninja Warrior,” sold to 160 territories, and variety show “Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan,” which spawned “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

Newly formed Australian independent production banner Filmbarr is making its formal debut at SXSW 2026 with two films in the festival’s lineup, anchored by the world premiere of psychological thriller “And Her Body Was Never Found,” while simultaneously unveiling a four-title slate that spans elevated horror, true crime and prestige drama.

Founded by Tristan Barr (“Subject,” “Head Count”), longtime collaborator Josh Doke – one of the forces behind breakout indie hit “Skinamarink” – and producing partner Erin Crittenden (“The Grand Tour,” “Seven Snipers”), Filmbarr is positioning itself as a home for formally inventive, filmmaker-driven genre cinema built to travel internationally. The company’s mandate centers on pairing bold directors with recognizable international casts, bridging festival and commercial audiences at disciplined budget levels.

“And Her Body Was Never Found,” which lands in SXSW’s Visions section for risk-taking artists, is perhaps the most literal embodiment of that philosophy. Inspired by the self-contained filmmaking ethos of Robert Rodriguez, Banks and Cohen wrote, directed, and starred in the film – essentially functioning as their own crew – shooting across Washington State’s national parks while hauling their own gear and operating out of a rental van. The script was assembled from real arguments between the couple, reframed as a cinematic metaphor for being trapped in a communicative spiral, as their characters’ attempts to reconnect devolve into murder. The pair generated the film’s entire budget through clinical trial participation and credit cards.

Also premiering at SXSW is “Dead Eyes,” a visceral horror feature from director Richard Williams shot entirely in a specialist-designed first-person POV format. The film stars Mischa Heyward (“Bring Her Back”), Ana Thu Nguyen (“Mortal Kombat”), Stephen Phillips (“Bring Her Back”), Alea O’Shea (“Sissy”) and Charles Cottier (“Demon Disorder”).

Beyond SXSW, Filmbarr has two additional titles in the pipeline. Australian fantasy-horror “Deathkeeper” will world premiere at FrightFest in March. Based on a novel, the elevated genre film follows an angel cursed to age decades each time he saves a life, and features an ensemble cast including Shuang Hu (“Five Blind Dates”), Peter Thurnwald (“XO, Kitty”), Isabella Procida (“Rock Island Mysteries”), Charles Cottier (“Seven Snipers”), George Pullar (“Evil Dead Burn”) and Matt Caffoe (“Dunny Derby”). Collectively the cast commands more than 18 million social media followers, reflecting Filmbarr’s strategy of aligning traditional genre storytelling with strong digital reach.

Rounding out the slate is “Cut Sick,” a psychological crime drama directed by Amanda Kaye exploring the story of one of Australia’s most notorious female murderers. The project previously participated in the Biennale College Cinema at the Venice Film Festival and is moving into production later this year, signaling Filmbarr’s expansion into prestige-leaning true crime with strong international festival potential. Action feature “Seven Snipers,” starring Tim Roth, Radha Mitchell, Ioan Gruffudd and Ryan Kwanten, is also among the company’s upcoming releases.

“The independent market has tightened significantly, particularly around pre-sales,” said Barr. “To compete in a landscape dominated by IP and in-house streamer production, the model must evolve. Audiences will always look for singular authentic voices and distinct cinematic experiences. We’re building Filmbarr around projects that can cut through on originality.”

Crittenden added: “Budgets are contracting, but the tools available to filmmakers have never been more powerful. Technology is enabling ambitious storytelling at a fraction of traditional costs. The opportunity now lies in backing filmmakers with bold perspectives and giving them the creative latitude to deliver something the market hasn’t seen before.”

Banks said of “And Her Body Was Never Found”: “We really put everything we had into this movie, not only our finances, but our experiences, our secrets, our fears. Both of us have dreamed of making movies our entire lives, though, so what could be more worth the risk?”

Cohen added: “We studied the dysfunction in our communication inside and out, and learned to accept and rely on each other in ways we never thought possible.”

What’s old is new again.

One of the headliners on Banijay Entertainment’s formats slate at London TV Screenings this week is a rebooted returning show, “Fear Factor: House of Fear,” Lucas Green, Banijay Entertainment’s chief content officer, operations, tells Variety.

Green says that it “really hit the sweet spot of what audiences and clients want,” adding “What they’ve done with ‘Fear Factor’ is a very simple twist, which is they’ve turned it into an arced reality.”

“By turning it into an arced show with a reality cast who are in it together, and rather than just doing one off, very terrifying challenges, it’s got a bigger reality storyline as well, which links them all together. And I think it’s no coincidence that it’s done amazingly well on streaming.”

The show, hosted by Johnny Knoxville, is Hulu’s number one streamed show, he says, and between Fox and Hulu the new season, after the fifth episode, has seen 1.5 billion minutes streamed already.

“It totally justifies this idea of turning it into an arced reality show that you want to come back and see what happens to the ‘Fear Factor’ contestants. They’re living in a scary cabin in the wood, and as well as trying to overcome their fears, they’re trying to overcome each other and have an ultimate winner.”

Banijay is already in talks for the show to return and for European territories to make local versions.

“It’s not just been a case of bringing back an old title, but it’s a really neat response to the types of shows and the structure of how people are consuming their shows.

“It’s taken what was previously a close ended show and turned it into an arc reality.”

Other hot returning shows include “The Summit” and “Shaolin Heroes,” which both launched in the last two to three years, and are now gaining traction. “The Summit” has local versions in seven territories and “Shaolin Heroes” in six. He ascribes the success of these to a certain extent to producers “being able to learn from the lessons of other territories.”

“I think combining all of that editorial expertise to not just be the format police who tell you how you have to make the show, we really do provide opportunities to allow you to take these big, new IPs and work with them creatively and adapt them to local needs and budgets and cultures.”

One thing these shows have in common, he says, is that they are stripped reality so they are very bingeable. “They are all the types of shows that you would watch two or three episodes back-to-back. They work very well on streaming.”

One aspect that is relatively new is the introduction of content creators to the mix. For example, they have been included in the cast of Banijay’s “The Fifty.”

“[These shows] are very well suited to content creators who can bring pre-existing followers and audiences. They’re a kind of a new breed of VIP. And I think that in the past, the word ‘influencer’ got a bad name, but actually a lot of these content creators know their audience really, really well, and they have got very passionate, dedicated followings.”

ZDF Studios has taken international distribution rights to Season 4 of premium factual series “Ancient Superstructures,” a new run that will prominently feature Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia as it heads toward a milestone moment this June.

Produced by Pernel Media in association with RMC Découverte, Histoire, SBS and ZDF Studios, the new season is currently in production and slated for completion this spring. 

ZDF Studios has secured rights across worldwide markets excluding French-speaking territories and Australia.

“Ancient Superstructures” has carved out a distinctive niche in the landmarks-and-history space by pairing high-end CGI with scientific investigation, using a multi-scale approach — from satellite imagery to microscopic analysis — to decode the engineering behind some of the world’s most iconic monuments.

Season 4’s itinerary spans multiple territories and eras, with episodes dedicated to Greece’s Acropolis of Athens, Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle, and France’s Pierrefonds Castle and the medieval city of Carcassonne.

The marquee installment, however, centers on the Sagrada Familia, where the production has been granted exclusive access to film the placing of the final stone on the basilica’s main structure — positioned by the producers as a historic TV moment.

The June milestone coincides with the centenary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death and the official inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ. 

Topping out at 172.5 meters (565.9 feet), the basilica is set to become the tallest church in the world. While the main structure and its 18 towers are scheduled for completion in 2026, additional decorative work on the Glory Façade is expected to continue through 2034, giving the season a time-stamped, front-row view of one of Europe’s most ambitious long-term builds.

“This franchise has consistently set the gold standard for factual programming by blending high-end CGI with rigorous scientific investigation,” said Nikolas Huelbusch, director of unscripted at ZDF Studios. “Being able to capture the historic completion of the Sagrada Família — a project 144 years in the making — is a testament to the series’ relevance,” he added.

“Our mission has always been to reveal the ‘invisible’ secrets of these marvels through cutting-edge technology. With Season 4, we are taking this to a new level,” said Pernel Media executive producer Fabrice Frank.

Pernel Media founder and CEO Samuel Kissous added: “This franchise reflects exactly the kind of premium, internationally resonant programming Pernel is committed to producing.”

The deal underscores ZDF Studios’ role as a global distributor and co-production partner within the commercial arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, while France- and U.K.-based Pernel Media continues to scale an international slate spanning premium factual alongside a growing English-language scripted pipeline.

Robert Carradine, an American actor best known for his roles in the 1984 comedy film “Revenge of the Nerds” and the 2001 Disney Channel original series “Lizzie McGuire,” has died. He was 71.

Hilary Duff, who played Carradine’s titular on-screen daughter in “Lizzie McGuire,” shared news of the actor’s death in an Instagram tribute on Monday night.

“This one hurts,” she wrote. “It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend. There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents. I’ll be forever grateful for that. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him , his family and everyone who loved him.”

Jake Thomas, who played Carradine’s son Matt McGuire on the Disney sitcom, also shared a tribute on Instagram.

“My heart hurts today,” Thomas wrote. “I was fortunate to know Bobby for most of my life. And he was one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric. He was a talented actor, musician and director. But more than anything, he was family. I have many fond memories of being with him and his family throughout my life. Good moments, challenging moments and lots of laughs in between.”

He continued, “I looked up to him growing up. And later, I came to realize he thought I was pretty neat, too. So I guess I was doing something right.”

Carradine starred alongside Anthony Edwards in Jeff Kanew’s 1984 cult classic “Revenge of the Nerds.” In “Lizzie McGuire,” he played the McGuire family patriarch, Sam. His other notable film credits include “Escape from L.A.,” “The Big Red One,” “Body Bags,” “The Long Riders” and “Django Unchained.”

Carradine was born in 1954 to a family of entertainers. His father was actor John Carradine. Two of his brothers, David and Keith Carradine, were actors and filmmakers, while his third sibling, Christopher Carradine, was a Disney Imagineer. His breakout film was the 1972 western “The Cowboys,” in which he appeared alongside John Wayne.

On this week’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart covered the Right’s enthusiastic response to the United States’ hockey victory over Canada at the Olympics and poked fun at FBI Director Kash Patel for joining Team USA in the locker room for the celebration.

At the top of Monday’s show, Stewart painted a dismal picture of what America was like before Team USA’s 2-1 gold medal win.

“This country is in such emotional turmoil right now,” Stewart said. “A feeling that we are one nation divided, under siege. That perhaps we have crossed a Rubicon of this great American experiment, and that we, slowly and inexorably, are sliding into the abyss of fallen and broken democracies. But then!”

The show then cut to a clip of Jack Hughes scoring the game-winning goal for Team USA.

“We’re back, motherfucker!” Stewart exclaimed. “I know the powerful elites remain unaccountable, but he put the thing behind that other guy! This country was sinking into a cesspool we couldn’t recover from, but he put the vulcanized rubber disc behind the lord of the net! It was so unifying! There is nothing that can take away from the joyous moment as all Americans celebrate this incredible — wait, what the fuck?”

The late-night host cut his celebration short upon seeing that Patel celebrated with Team USA in their locker room.

“Is that FBI director Kash Patel?” Stewart added. “Are they putting a medal on FBI director Kash Patel? Is Kash Patel a Make-a-Wish man?”

Stewart then turned his attention to the Right’s reaction to the win. The show cut to a clip of conservative commentator Benny Johnson saying that the triumph represented “masculinity and celebration,” two things that have been “completely and totally sanitized from our arch feminist culture, our estrogenetic culture.”

“First of all, what a super weird year hockey is having. Like, in four months, to go from, ‘Nobody gives a shit about hockey,’ to, ‘Well, I like to watch them fuck,’ to, ‘Only hockey can save us from a dystopian, estrogenetic future.’” Stewart joked, referencing HBO’s hit queer hockey series “Heated Rivalry.” “Perhaps the strangest part is how this victory in a hockey match is being perceived on the right geopolitically.”

Stewart then cut to clips from Fox News, in which contributors said that Canadians are “basically communists” and that “hockey is all that they had, and we took that away.”

“What is with this sore winning?” Stewart joked. “And by the way, don’t we have enough real enemies? Now we got to pretend like Canada’s way of life is incongruous to the west? ‘Yeah! fuck those completely best neighbors our nation has ever had!’”

Watch the entire monologue below.

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There was more than a gold medal on the line following Team USA’s overtime win over Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics hockey final: new data shows the U.S.’ historic hockey victory also led to a spike in ticket sales for regular season hockey games online.

Team USA defeated Canada by a score of 2-1 after New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes slotted the winning goal home just over 90 seconds into sudden-death overtime. The golden goal secured the U.S. men’s first Olympic gold medal since the famous “Miracle on Ice” win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

Now, stats from ticketing site Gametime show ticket purchases for New Jersey Devils NHL games spiked “dramatically” in the hours following the gold medal game.

Gametime says transactions for National Hockey League tickets online were “more than 10x higher” than a typical day. The so-called “get-in price” for upcoming Devils’ games also “more than doubled,” per Gametime, with Wednesday’s game between New Jersey and the Buffalo Sabres showing a 127% price increase. “This kind of demand spike is typically reserved for playoff runs and championship celebrations,” notes Gametime on its blog.

The 2026 Olympics were officially a ratings bonanza, with NBCUniversal touting an average of more than 23 million viewers watching across NBC, Peacock, USA Network and CNBC during the two-week period. Hockey was among the biggest draws, with the U.S. women’s hockey team’s victory over Canada ranking as the most-watched women’s hockey game ever, attracing 5.3 million viewers across USA Network and Peacock. While ratings for the men’s gold medal match — which also saw the U.S. topple Canada — have yet to be released, it’s clear there’s a surge of new interest in the sport.

That’s not even taking into account the “Heated Rivalry” effect: ticketing site SeatGeek released data in January suggesting that the hit HBO Max show may have driven demand for hockey tickets, especially among new fans. According to SeatGeek, the average number of hockey tickets sold on its site increased by 24% during the week of “Heated Rivalry’s” buzzy season one finale in December.

The site also cited a 13% year-over-year increase in the share of solo ticket buyers. As SeatGeek says, “This trend aligns with anecdotal evidence that ‘Heated Rivalry’ may be pulling in new or more casual fans—people curious enough to check out a game on their own.”

You can find NHL tickets online on Ticketmaster, which is the Official Ticket Marketplace of the NHL. Can’t find the seats you want or looking to score a deal online? You can also buy NHL tickets online through third-party sites like SeatGeek, Gametime, StubHub and Vivid Seats.

The 2025-26 NHL season kicked off in October before the league took a mid-season break in February to allow players to complete in the Olympics. The league resumes play Feb. 25 as teams fight for a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs in April. The Florida Panthers are the current Stanley Cup champions, having defeated the Edmonton Oilers last year.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League or PWHL, meantime, resumes play after the Olympics on Feb. 26. The eight-team women’s league features Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Seattle and Vancouver. The current champions are the Minnesota Frost.

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance leaders spent a busy week in negotiations, and now the WBD board is likely to tell shareholders before the market opens on Tuesday that it is taking the bid under review while still recommending the Netflix transaction that is up for a vote on March 20.

Representatives for WBD and Paramount Skydance declined to comment late Monday. The financial terms of the new offer were not immediately clear.

Monday wrapped a busy seven-day period in which the WBD board sought Netflix’s blessing to engage in discussions with Paramount to “seek clarity” on its “best and final offer.” WBD asked Paramount Skydance “to clarify your proposal, which we understand will include a WBD per share price higher than $31” in a letter from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and board chairman Samuel Di Piazza Jr. to Paramount’s board.

If WBD is formally considering the Paramount Skydance offer, the next move in this chess game will come from Netflix: The streamer has four days to match Paramount’s new offer, or it could bail out of the bidding process. A source close to the situation noted that WBD is legally bound to recommend its signed agreement with Netflix, valued at nearly $83 billion. Paramount has fielded a $108 billion offer for the entirety of WBD, including its cable channels. Netflix is buying Warner Bros. and HBO Max.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, in a Feb. 20 interview with Variety, declined to say how the streamer would respond to a higher offer from Paramount. But he did say that Netflix has a “rich history” of being “willing to walk away and let someone else overpay for things.”

Under Netflix’s agreement with WBD, the streamer would buy Warner Bros.’s studios and streaming businesses for $27.75 per share (in all cash, a change Netflix made last month from its previous cash-and-stock offer). WBD shareholders would retain equity in Discovery Global, the company’s proposed spin-off entity housing CNN, TBS and other linear networks as well as Discovery+.

Ellison first approached WBD CEO Zaslav in September 2025, initially offering $19/share for Warner Bros. Discovery. That came just weeks after Ellison’s Skydance Media closed its acquisition of Paramount Global. Paramount’s interest in WBD prompted the board to initiate a formal M&A review process — and the board picked Netflix as the winning bidder. WBD’s board has previously rejected Paramount’s takeover offers nine times.

Paramount’s takeover offer is backed by Larry Ellison (David’s tech-billionaire father) and RedBird Capital Partners. The company has secured debt financing from Bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo Global Management. Paramount’s bid also includes capital from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.