Warner Bros. is for sale, with a bidding deadline quickly approaching.
According to reports, some big names like Comcast, Netflix and Paramount are preparing bids.
But any deal is likely to face scrutiny from federal regulators and the Trump administration.
Board members at Warner Bros. were hoping to evaluate bids before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Warner Bros. Discovery — which is home to CNN — could face a hard review from the feds for any sale, given that some of the company’s channels raise cultural and political divides.
The company’s board is fielding questions not only about potential sale price, but also whether a sale would even get approved.
Insiders, though, say Paramount Skydance could be the favorite.
One senior Trump administration official told the New York Post: “Who owns Warner Bros. Discovery is very important to the administration.”
The official continued, “The Warner board needs to think very seriously not just on the price competition but which player in the suitor pool has been successful getting a deal done, and that points to the Ellisons.”
“The Ellisons” refers to tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son, Hollywood producer David Ellison, who own the diversified media company Skydance.
Any deal would likely not be wrapped up right way, though board members probably hope to have something done by the end of the year.
For the Washington Times, I’m Alex Swoyer.
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