Update February 27th, 12:57PM ET: Since the publication of this article, CNBC has reported that Warner Bros. Discovery has stopped pursuing an acquisition of Paramount. The original story follows below. --- Warner Bros. Discovery might merge with another entertainment giant: Paramount. Sources tell Axios that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav held talks with Paramount CEO Bob Bakish on Tuesday about a possible merger.
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 — the head of Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements — Axios reports. We still don’t know whether Warner Bros. Discovery would buy Paramount or National Amusements if a merger actually does happen, but a source tells Axios that “both options are on the table.