NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� HBO Max, 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� and may soon find themselves under a new roof: Paramount.
That’s because shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday voted to to the company that owns CBS, along with blockbusters like 鈥淭op Gun.” Based on a preliminary vote count, Warner shareholders agreed to the proposed $81 billion buyout 鈥� valued at nearly $111 billion including debt based on Warner鈥檚 current outstanding shares.
While the deal still faces the megamerger would vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape, further consolidating power in an industry already run by just a handful of major players. Paramount itself was acquired just last year.
Here’s what a Paramount-Warner combo could look like for streaming, movies, news and more.
Streaming
Paramount Skydance would own both Paramount+ and, with the sale approved by shareholders Thursday, Warner’s HBO Max. Company executives have said that they would combine these streamers into one platform.
What that combined service would look like (or be named) is unclear. But Paramount CEO David Ellison suggested that HBO could still have some level of independence, at least production-wise.
鈥淥ur view point is, HBO should stay HBO,鈥� Ellison said during a conference call last month. 鈥淭hey built a phenomenal brand, they are a leader in this space and we just want them to continue doing more of it. But by bringing the platforms together, all of our content will be able to reach even a broader audience than we can do standalone.鈥�
Warner and its HBO streaming platform have a powerful lineup that includes 鈥淭he Pitt,鈥� 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥� and 鈥淪ex and the City.” And beyond 鈥淗arry Potter,鈥� Warner’s library lists blockbuster films such as 鈥淪inners,鈥� 鈥淏arbie鈥� and “Superman” (the company also owns DC Studios). Titles like 鈥淭op Gun,” “Titanic,鈥� 鈥淭he Godfather” and 鈥淵ellowstone” fill Paramount’s catalog.
In the U.S., according to streaming guide JustWatch, HBO Max controlled about 12% of on-demand subscriptions in the first quarter of this year 鈥� compared to 3% for Paramount+. Combining those two services would still fall slightly below Prime Video’s 17% market share, and the 19% of the market commanded by Netflix. Disney owns about 27% of the market between Hulu and Disney+.
Beyond HBO Max, Paramount would also acquire Warner鈥檚 smaller Discovery+ streamer. And apart from Paramount+, Paramount owns Pluto TV and BET+, too.
Critics are skeptical of consumer benefits touted by Paramount. While company executives have continued to laud larger content libraries and the potential for Paramount to better compete with bigger rivals, a combination with Warner Bros. would mean fewer platform choices when it comes to streaming overall. Critics warn that could actually mean higher prices at a time when the price of almost all subscriptions continues to tick higher.
Moviemaking and theatrical releases
Paramount and Warner Bros. are two of Hollywood鈥檚 oldest studios. A merger would mean fewer companies control .
Ellison has said the combined company to grow a slate to more than 30 movies a year, keeping Paramount and Warner Bros. as stand-alone operations. And in a star-studded last week, he promised a 45-day exclusive window for films in theaters, pledging a 鈥渃omplete commitment鈥� to the industry.
Still, others about what further consolidation could mean for jobs and which projects are greenlit down the road. Regulatory filings have indicated that the new ownership will be looking for ways to cut costs 鈥� including layoffs and downsizing some overlapping operations. Paramount is taking on billions of dollars in debt to finance the deal.
Warner Bros. just had a banner year of both major blockbusters and critical successes. The studio racked up thanks to 鈥淪inners,鈥� 鈥淲eapons,鈥� and 鈥淥ne Battle After Another鈥� (which the top best picture slot). Paramount received zero. And in 2025, Warner Bros. movies 鈥� including 鈥淪uperman鈥� and 鈥淪inners鈥� 鈥� accounted for 21% of the domestic box office. Paramount鈥檚 market share was only 6%, driven largely by 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� The Final Reckoning.”
The industry has already experienced a sizeable consolidation. Almost 10 years ago, Hollywood鈥檚 big six became the big five when Disney bought most of . And if the Warner sale goes through, a new 鈥渂ig four鈥� era would be underway 鈥� with a bigger Paramount standing alongside Disney, Universal and Sony.
News
CNN would come under the same roof as Paramount-owned CBS. That would bring together two of America鈥檚 biggest names in television news, although whether CNN would continue to operate as a separate brand from CBS has yet to be confirmed.
Regardless, there is a lot of anxiety about Paramount taking control of CNN 鈥� a network that has long attracted ire from President Donald Trump and his allies. Critics point to Trump鈥檚 close relationship with the Ellison family, particularly billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who is putting up to back the bid by his son鈥檚 company.
Since coming under Skydance ownership less than a year ago, CBS has already seen significant shifts in editorial leadership. It’s taken steps to appeal to more conservative viewers in its news operations, notably with the of Free Press founder as editor-in-chief of CBS News. If the company鈥檚 proposed Warner takeover is successful, many expect similar changes at CNN.
Some officials in the Trump administration have also made their opinions very clear about CNN’s future ownership. In March, the White House for its coverage of the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran 鈥� and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.鈥�
Ellison has said that editorial independence 鈥渨ill absolutely be maintained鈥� under Paramount ownership. 鈥淚t鈥檚 maintained at CBS. It鈥檒l be maintained at CNN,鈥� Ellison told in March, while noting that his company wants to speak to 鈥渢he 70%鈥� of viewers who he said identify as center-left or center-right.
The acting head of the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division has also said that its regulatory review will not be political. Still, critics are skeptical 鈥� particularly following Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount in August. That merger was just weeks after the company agreed to to settle a lawsuit over editing at CBS’ 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� program. The president has continued to publicly lash out at 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� programming since.
Other TV and cable networks
CNN is just one of the cable operations that Warner is selling. And the proposed merger would make Paramount’s TV footprint even bigger.
The company Discovery, TNT, TBS, Food Network, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet, among other networks 鈥� all of which would come under Paramount ownership if the deal goes through. Meanwhile, Paramount already has its own sizeable broadcast lineup. Beyond CBS, that includes Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Showtime and more.
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