Despite Netflix seeming to be the top bidder for Warner Brothers, Paramount swept in and bought the company for a whopping $110 billion. Back in December, it was expected that Netflix would buy the company, but with a counteroffer, David Ellison and company couldn’t resist; the tides shifted in Paramount’s favor.
The corporate greed and ridiculous display of money and power here is truly baffling. With one gigantic purchase of unimaginable value, Paramount now suddenly owns all of WB’s property, including companies/properties like Rocksteady (Batman Arkham trilogy), TT Games (LEGO games), NetherRealm (Mortal Kombat), WB Animation, Warner Bros. Studios, HBO, New Line Cinema, DC Studios, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and more. This could be a huge problem moving forward.
Paramount has numerous ties to extreme far-right beliefs/agendas. This can have a massive impact on the news sources they buy as well as the voice of art, including movies, TV, video games, cartoons, and more.
Saudi Arabia provided a Public Investment Fund (PIF) to purchase WB and is heavily involved in the purchase. Saudi Arabia has ties with many far-right factions, including anti-Iran and anti-democratic policies, which can heavily impact the way the news is expressed.
WB owns CNN, a left-leaning news network, so Paramount will likely change a lot of information with this access, including how the war against Iran and the Trump administration’s future actions pertaining to the war, the Epstein files, and more.
Certain art platforms, such as film and television, could also change drastically. Take, for example, James Gunn’s newly created DCU. It may not seem like a big deal, but comic book characters have a lot to say about politics and social issues. Take, for example, Superman (2025). Lex Luthor is used to represent the greed and corruption of billionaires, and the war shown at the end of the movie is supposed to represent the Gaza war. Superman is a character created by two Jewish men, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, to represent their experiences as immigrants.
Stories like these will likely be silenced or stifled by the power of these corrupt billionaires who care nothing for art or the people who work so hard to make meaningful and passionate stories. It may just seem like one big company is just buying another for greater profit, but the truth is it runs so much deeper than that.
Warner Brothers is reportedly performing mass layoffs, including roughly 10% of the studio’s employees. This includes workers in marketing, production, operations and more. The initial purchase alone is costing many employees their jobs.
This purchase is highly politically motivated, and it can affect the media we consume, the way the news is framed, and what we are showing our children.
Paramount’s purchase of Warner Brothers is a huge deal and can bring about so many issues. It will be years before the purchase is very noticeable, but until then, we can only hope that things turn out okay for the news, for creators, writers, and so many others who work so hard to make art and news for the public.
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