Thread regarding Paramount Global layoffs

What could possibly go wrong?

Seriously, how does it make sense to pay roughly $110 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery when the company has been struggling financially for years?

WBD reported billions in net losses in 2023 and 2024. Yes, it returned to a profit in 2025, but that included a substantial gain from debt extinguishment. Meanwhile, traditional cable TV keeps declining, streaming is brutally competitive, and the combined company will have a mountain of debt to deal with.

The justification seems to be synergies, cost-cutting, and the value of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and the content library. But those savings are projections, not guarantees.

So the strategy is to take two companies facing major challenges, combine them, load up on financing, and hope that cutting costs will somehow fix the underlying problems?

Maybe the IP is worth a fortune. But valuable franchises don't automatically translate into sustainable cash flow, especially when the business model is changing so rapidly.

And when the promised synergies arrive, how much of that will come from layoffs and restructuring?

Genuinely curious how people think this deal makes financial sense.


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| 213 views | | 14 replies (last 29 days ago) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1m4hj7xgf

14 replies (most recent on top)

Sears/Kmart

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Post ID: @z1+1m4hj7xgf

How does it makes sense? Easy - David (probably - Larry) knows something very few understand. What lays ahead is insane, unthinkable hyper inflation, levels never seen before. Debt will dilute and basically evaporate. These who can see it - are grabbing everything and anything they can for paper notes that are going to be worthless very soon. They all know it is coming, but they can’t predict exact timing. Musk was way early to buy Twitter, but it’s the same basic idea. Brace yourselves - it is never fun to live through an empire collapsing. I might be “lucky” to personally experience it for a second time, and for these of us who lived through USSR collapse and the aftermath - I’m sure you all recognize the writings of the walls…

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Post ID: @m4+1m4hj7xgf

@dk Come on, most people in the US and around the world consume content slop. Companies aren't going to make money producing movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas anymore.

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Post ID: @m2+1m4hj7xgf

@jr

NO.

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Post ID: @jz+1m4hj7xgf

@dk I agree with you, but Disney has built a successful business on garbage content, and it works for them. Quantity beats quality. It might work for us, too. You have to consider that average IQ has been declining for years, and content needs to cater to the majority of the population.

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Post ID: @jr+1m4hj7xgf

Nobody with any sense and/or an IQ over 73 enjoys the SLOP that's being served up as "entertainment" these days.

The movies SUK.
The music SU
KS.
The "talent" SUKS.
The writing SU
KS.
The blatant deluge of nods to satanism, violence, s-xual abuse, and immorality SU*KS.

The degradation, d-mbing-down and ripping-off is an insult to the audience, and people are SICK OF IT.

Read the room, d!pshi!ts.
No one wants to be fed the myriad poison you're dishing out.
It's disgusting, and your entire industry is just a big sick bloated pile of fetid toxicity.

Turn it around and start producing content which good and decent people value, and which uplifts their souls, or sink under the weight of your own hubris, evil intentions, and detrimental decisions.

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Post ID: @dk+1m4hj7xgf

Because David is an amazing businessman and he’s going to win every vertical !
BS

They’re going to recycle old movies to make this studio quota. They’re gonna be sh-t films and the stock market is gonna dictate the future.

They’ve already lost the market because their combining streaming channel, so you’re gonna lose some income there unless they increase prices dramatically, and then they’re gonna lose more people. It’s gonna be a disaster.

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Post ID: @d8+1m4hj7xgf

Just hire more smirking millionaires for the top positions! lol

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Post ID: @ch+1m4hj7xgf

Here’s a simple answer: the math doesn’t make any sense. Anyone who believes otherwise is an id--t.

How will this company make a sustainable profit? Your guess is as good as anyone’s. I suspect fudged measurement and PR spin will be part of the smoke and mirrors.

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Post ID: @bs+1m4hj7xgf

It seems James Gunn is staying. That means more unprofitable, terrible DC movies. IP alone won't help.

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Post ID: @ba+1m4hj7xgf

I'll spell out the nagging thing we're all completely aware of.

This is what unrestrained business nepotism actually looks like with multi-billionaires.

Meanwhile the rest of us struggle to afford basic groceries, even if we still have jobs at the moment.

But.. but.. but... all the storytelling!!

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Post ID: @am+1m4hj7xgf

You’re right there is 88 billion in debt and all they talk about is 6 billion in savings as though that will snowball into 88 billion? Their plan is to show they can save less than 10% of overall debt and after that they don’t really know what’s going to happen. When you listen to the other execs talk it’s like they are all instructed to explain how brilliant de is. It must be embarrassing for all these accomplished people to pretend the guy whose dad is paying the bills is some kind of genius. He talks like he’s Elon or zuck but he cant explain how his tech expertise will help other than “uh it’s ai”.

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Post ID: @ac+1m4hj7xgf

Phase 1: Collect Underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit

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Post ID: @a7+1m4hj7xgf

I think that most of the value must come from library and feeding its content into AI tools.

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Post ID: @a6+1m4hj7xgf

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