bitbydeath
Member
So it was rumoured they didn’t want to break it up, but now they do?
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Rumour: Sony in talks to acquire Paramount
- Thread starter Pelta88
- Start date
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Sony’s Out: Won’t Return To Mix During Paramount’s 45-Day “Go Shop” Window
Sony will not be one of those rival parties trying to shore up a better bid during Paramount Global's "Go Shop" period following the $8 billion Skydance offer
Dirk Benedict
Member
I don't think it will be Skydance. It could be MS for all we know, should they or any other tech company decide they want to enter Entertainment Media.Sony’s Out: Won’t Return To Mix During Paramount’s 45-Day “Go Shop” Window
Sony will not be one of those rival parties trying to shore up a better bid during Paramount Global's "Go Shop" period following the $8 billion Skydance offer
deadline.com
I would go after them if I were Apple.
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
True.
Out of the giants, right now its a battle between Netflix and Amazon for streaming supremacy. For Apple to get a bite (you see what I did there Dirk...) they'll need to play ball and make some big buys, especially with the likes of Disney battling for that 3rd spot.
For Apple, imho, Disney is the one they need to worry a lot about right now, they are hungry to get that Netflix and Amazon money and have no issues buying to get there.
Mibu no ookami
Banned
Apple is in the middle of an antitrust case... you think they're going to jump into a new element that will make that messier?
freefornow
Member
James Sawyer Ford
Member
Sony’s Out: Won’t Return To Mix During Paramount’s 45-Day “Go Shop” Window
Sony will not be one of those rival parties trying to shore up a better bid during Paramount Global's "Go Shop" period following the $8 billion Skydance offer
deadline.com
Good.
Was never a fan of this deal
Dirk Benedict
Member
I would be surprised if Apple didn't bid seriously on this. But, hey, I'm just an armchair.
Does Disney have the resources though? IIRC this isn't 8B for total control of Paramount and their awesome back catalogue, just a strong partnership stake. All i hear from D these days is "save save save, cut, cut, cut" so I can't imagine they are really in this fight.
Apple certainly COULD swoop in and buy, hell, they could probably buy ALL of Hollywood out of their petty cash fund, but I think they are ok with being the gateway for content rather than the source of it, outside of some prestige stuff they probably consider marketing rather than a core product.
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
nvm
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sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
What money. Doesn’t Netflix still pump all it’s revenue into producing more content and therefore not having much profit?
Mr Moose
Member
The last offer was 8B?Sony’s Out: Won’t Return To Mix During Paramount’s 45-Day “Go Shop” Window
Sony will not be one of those rival parties trying to shore up a better bid during Paramount Global's "Go Shop" period following the $8 billion Skydance offer
deadline.com
The Cory Barlog Star Trek dream is deadSony’s Out: Won’t Return To Mix During Paramount’s 45-Day “Go Shop” Window
Sony will not be one of those rival parties trying to shore up a better bid during Paramount Global's "Go Shop" period following the $8 billion Skydance offer
deadline.com
vivftp
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The Cory Barlog Star Trek dream is dead
Look at page 1-5 of the thread, lots of dreams and 5 year plans are dead lol.
Tom Holland as Ethan Page, South Park making exclusive games for Playstation because of ties to Paramount and so on.
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Varteras
Member
Look at page 1-5 of the thread, lots of dreams and 5 year plans are dead lol.
Tom Holland as Ethan Page, South Park making exclusive games for Playstation because of ties to Paramount and so on.
Yeah it's weird they wanted exclusives out of that deal. Who would PlayStation being using them to compete against?
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
Ok...annnnnd they are still the number 1 to beat. I also have no clue why you thought they would have no money to buy something like Paramount lol
sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
I meant, Netflix isn't making any kind of money Apple or Disney *need* to chase. Netflix after a decade makes 5bill a year (net profit) and that is at their peak sub numbers, its downhill from here on out as competition is also here to eat their lunch. Apple makes 96bill net profit a year.
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
Thats nice
Netflix is still the number 1 to beat right now...
Soooooo the top dogs to beat right now is #1 Netflix and #2 Amazon
How much fucking Disney or Apple make isn't going to magically change any of that shit and I have no clue why that is hurting your feelings to hear or something lol
Edit. I don't even get your reply, my original post doesn't even fucking state Netflix would buy them, I actually state Apple or Disney would need them more...
Netflix Blows Past Q4 Subscriber Targets, Topping 260M
Netflix added a far-better-than-expected 13 million subscribers in the fourth quarter to reach 260.3 million globally as of the end of 2023.
deadline.com
^ So the copium will continue my friend, they are not going away any time soon as much as you may want to force this "doom" narrative, thats as dumb as the whole Disney "funa be dooomz" narrative or something.
(added to that good ole ignore list, we don't want you to waste your time if your aim is to force some argument about Netflix or something lol, they are the top dogs to beat regardless of some cope spin sir)
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Negotiator101
Member
It's the same narrative as Xbox though with every Tom, Dick and Harry claiming they'll be gone soon. Just like Netflix that ain't happening but it's a common topic here regardless.Thats nice
Netflix is still the number 1 to beat right now...
Soooooo the top dogs to beat right now is #1 Netflix and #2 Amazon
How much fucking Disney or Apple make isn't going to magically change any of that shit and I have no clue why that is hurting your feelings to hear or something lol
Edit. I don't even get your reply, my original post doesn't even fucking state Netflix would buy them, I actually state Apple or Disney would need them more...
Netflix Blows Past Q4 Subscriber Targets, Topping 260M
Netflix added a far-better-than-expected 13 million subscribers in the fourth quarter to reach 260.3 million globally as of the end of 2023.
^ So the copium will continue my friend, they are not going away any time soon as much as you may want to force this "doom" narrative, thats as dumb as the whole Disney "funa be dooomz" narrative or something.
(added to that good ole ignore list, we don't want you to waste your time if your aim is to force some argument about Netflix or something lol, they are the top dogs to beat regardless of some cope spin sir)
ManaByte
Gold Member
On Wednesday.
VolticArchangel
Member
I'm really happy Sony dropped out of the race, and hope they spend the $5 billion + they have left (till this FY I think) for acquisitions, on smaller ventures (on all fronts and not just gaming).
Think studios like Arrowhead in the gaming space which is really directly beneficial to them (having a history of working with Sony IP's), in the line of buyouts like Insomniac and Bluepoint, in the millions and not billions, like Bungie.
TIL that Netflix has 260 million + subscribers WTF! How much does Amazon Prime and Disney+ have?
Think studios like Arrowhead in the gaming space which is really directly beneficial to them (having a history of working with Sony IP's), in the line of buyouts like Insomniac and Bluepoint, in the millions and not billions, like Bungie.
Netflix Blows Past Q4 Subscriber Targets, Topping 260M
Netflix added a far-better-than-expected 13 million subscribers in the fourth quarter to reach 260.3 million globally as of the end of 2023.
TIL that Netflix has 260 million + subscribers WTF! How much does Amazon Prime and Disney+ have?
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
True, I don't think XB will be gone, but I do believe they will likely no longer be doing home consoles, but the XB brand, like the marketing, controllers, XB interface (on PC, like a overlay) will continue on.
True, I think it would be cool if they bought them and entered the race, but that market is way too crazy right now and maybe they should stick to smaller purchases like those Anime studios they've been buying up.
Netflix right now is the one to seek to beat, as Amazon Prime has like 230 million members, but most members actually don't watch their streaming service, granted I'm guilty of that for years lol I literally paid for Prime for the free shipping and other goodies and it was only years later that I decided to start using the streaming thing cause its like (i'm paying for it anyway lol) It was to watch of all things, Magnum P.I lol (good ass series lol)
So I've had Prime since 2009, they didn't start doing streaming till 2011, I didn't pay attention to any of that till 2019 when they saved The Expanse from Sci Fi channel (hi key, Netflix and Amazon have saved some gems from dying)
So Amazon is a close second based on a few things, their data suggest of all 230 million Prime members, 75-80% accessed Prime Video at lease once, which means we are talking maybe 170 million or so logged in once, how many are actually full users always using it, mystery lol but Amazon's actions is why I put them at second.
They bought MGM
Got the Fallout show, paid 200 million for Lord Of The Rings, got the God Of War show
Amazon is showing, they will bid aggressively with Netflix making them the 2 giants battling it out for streaming supremacy lol
The fact that Amazon is willing to spend 200 million on a show, shows they are seriously competing with Netflix, as that is a Netflix type of move. Its why I'm ok with Amazon or Netflix getting a show, they are willing to spend to actually make that show have the budget it needs to actually have a chance.
Disney+ is at like 165 million or so.
The big 3 with Netflix, Amazon and Disney are the only ones that are out here doing some wild 200 million shows or something.
but I digress lol
Sorry for the baby forest V VolticArchangel lol
nial
Member
Never liked the idea of correlating PlayStation with this.Look at page 1-5 of the thread, lots of dreams and 5 year plans are dead lol.
Tom Holland as Ethan Page, South Park making exclusive games for Playstation because of ties to Paramount and so on.
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VolticArchangel
Member
There's a lot to unpack here.
First off, 260 million, 230 million and 170 million. Holy fuck, what in the heebie jeebies are these numbers of customers for streaming services?
Let's just take the lowest common denominator here, Disney+. So, there's a large contingent of customers, of an installed base of 170 million in each of the three services, that pays for all three services, simultaneously? You cannot think these are different/unique users.
I used to do this for maybe 1 or two years, and the amount of time I had to watch everything vs playing video games, spending time with family after work etc, I just stuck to Netflix and occasionally sub to 1 month or 2 when some must watch show drops on the others.
To think there are 100 million + suckers out there who sub to just fomo, is quite scary, what marketing can do to sell a product/service.
On the Prime thing, Amazon will be more than happy if you subbed to Prime for only their logistics offering and not their video streaming service, because they can save the stress and bandwidth in their data centers used by you, for another potential customer.
Also, God of War is a tv show too right? I thought they would go with HBO again after the success of The Last Of Us, but Fallout is very good too, so it's in safe hands I think. They would do justice to source material.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Forgot about this. That Skydance thing coming out of nowhere muddied things up. Hadnt heard anything about Sony since.
RickMasters
Member
Absolutely nothing.
VolticArchangel
Member
I get the idea of Xbox fans suggesting that MS being one of the potential parties that should be interested in the buyout, though they're not officially in the race or indicated to be.
- Has their flagship IP running for 2 seasons (mixed to mediocre critical and fan reception), they would want to continue this.
- Has a treasure trove of IP that can be translated into big screen or TV shows.
- Recent Fallout TV show success, which also resulted in a temporary upsurge of game sales (all platforms) and merch sales, proves there's potential for expansion. But also, that was Amazon, Johnathan Nolan and it already has a second season in the works. They won't feel the same about Halo, that's for sure.
- They got $80 billion in cash (alone, by the end of their fy end in March this year)
- They're better off doing a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (hypothetically, I hope this never EVER happens), at slightly ~$25 Billion, which comes with a lot of great studios, insane IP from DC Comics and even games, and a sub service in HBO Max with close to 80 million current active subs, which they can add to Game Pass Ultimate and increase it's price to $24.99 from $19.99 currently.
- Their only other competitor (here in context of M&A) other than Skydance, is Apple. They would want to expand Apple TV+ and look for growth opportunities. Google is not in this space, yet. Netflix/Amazon/Disney wouldn't care about Paramount, given their positions in the video streaming wars currently.
This one's kind of a mixed bag, honestly. I see Apple or Skydance benefiting more than MS, personally.
- Has their flagship IP running for 2 seasons (mixed to mediocre critical and fan reception), they would want to continue this.
- Has a treasure trove of IP that can be translated into big screen or TV shows.
- Recent Fallout TV show success, which also resulted in a temporary upsurge of game sales (all platforms) and merch sales, proves there's potential for expansion. But also, that was Amazon, Johnathan Nolan and it already has a second season in the works. They won't feel the same about Halo, that's for sure.
- They got $80 billion in cash (alone, by the end of their fy end in March this year)
- They're better off doing a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (hypothetically, I hope this never EVER happens), at slightly ~$25 Billion, which comes with a lot of great studios, insane IP from DC Comics and even games, and a sub service in HBO Max with close to 80 million current active subs, which they can add to Game Pass Ultimate and increase it's price to $24.99 from $19.99 currently.
- Their only other competitor (here in context of M&A) other than Skydance, is Apple. They would want to expand Apple TV+ and look for growth opportunities. Google is not in this space, yet. Netflix/Amazon/Disney wouldn't care about Paramount, given their positions in the video streaming wars currently.
This one's kind of a mixed bag, honestly. I see Apple or Skydance benefiting more than MS, personally.
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
Truth.
This is a good assessment of this whole thing. I think a MS purchase could make sense long term, they could try to fold the subscription into their gaming stuff, like Game Pass Platinum or something
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Negotiator101
Member
New console generation has been confirmed numerous times by Xbox already, it's in development as we speak. Beyond that it's anyone's guess.
Ashamam
Member
Except it isn't how Apple plays. With the exception of Beats they never buy established brands, they buy tech/IP and integrate it into the mothership instead. I don't expect them to repeat a Beats acquisition either, I don't think it brought anything particularly unique to the company. I wonder how they view it internally in retrospect.
AppleTV+ isn't an all you can eat proposition and I don't expect it ever to be. Their focus is on quality over quantity, which they have been executing pretty well in comparison to the competition.
Right now it looks to me like Apple is interested in unearthing studio talent, happy to partner in that space, but swallowing a distribution channel? Doesn't fit. Apple to me seem to be planners rather than opportunists. So for them to buy a distribution channel that would have to have been part of a long term plan.
I don't think MS will either, its not their focus, unless they had a plan to go up against Apple/Prime etc. Would just be another distraction.
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Fess
Member
Tbh that’s another bad idea. Why are they talking about the next Xbox without having anything to show or even giving a hint when it’ll arrive? Is it coming next year? 2026? 2027?
Topher
Identifies as young
Something is coming, but we don't know if it will be a console or not. Lots of speculation that it will be a PC.
thismeinteil
Member
How you compare Netflix to Xbox like that is amazing. Netflix is the #1 streaming site/app with a bunch of exclusive content. They aren't a distant 3rd and putting things like Stranger Things and Squid Game on Amazon, Hulu, or Disney because their own numbers are so low.
And no one is saying the Xbox brand will 100% disappear. But their days of making home console HW are limited. That should be apparent to anyone with a brain the second they started going 3rd party.
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Goalus
Member
In order to correct the quoted user who says there won't be another Xbox.
PaintTinJr
Member
What do you think the satisfaction rates and hrs/week per user rates compare on those services?
As a life long Lucas SW fan and habitual viewer of Disney SW, Disney+ is probably the only service I think is worth the money with must have content, and I've had 4K Netflix continually since it launched and we had Prime since free next day delivery required it.
My main beef with Amazon, and probably the reason I would argue they are third, is that many subscribers would drop the service if it wasn't inbuilt with Prime Delivery IMO, and they themselves probably think that, because when they launched their lower sub with adverts they didn't automatically migrate users to the Premium and leave the new tier for new customers or downgraders, they intentionally put everyone on that sub so that they would lose less users to rising sub cost, while being able to jack up the amount of advertising as much as they want, giving them the best of both worlds and no means for consumers to hold them to account: unlimited power to advertise like a free service, while still taking a significant sub price per month.
Netflix never downgrade to SD/less screen when they up the price of their top tier and just take the loss of consumers that see the price hike as an exit point, clearly showing confidence in their content to retain most users, and Disney+ don't license most of their content and own the content outright meaning consumers know if they have any interest in certain content, a Disney+ sub is needed and that's the price.
So IMO the Disney+ consumer number is probably more indicative of stable consumer numbers these services can reach, and when the battle ends, I expect Disney+ to be first or second, and Sony Pictures to own fully - lock-stock and barrel - the most, or second most amount of premium streamable content - if Disney end up first - which I think will be the means by which others like Netflix will remain healthy in the business as first, but with tight margins on premium content and possibly with longer times than now between the cinema/rental/DVD and buffet streaming. Sony having avoided doing their own Netflix/Prime and being prepared to do content for all IMO seems to have resulted in them eating less losses in the transition from the old model of cinema, rental, DVD, sub network TV, terrestrial TV release than now.
If they aren't doing a competing bid for Paramount, I suspect Sony believe more streaming services below the top three(four as apple are going nowhere) will fail soon and cheaper acquisitions for great IPs will be on the cards sooner than later.
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Goalus
Member
Not_sure_if_serious.gif
Disney+ is worth the money for fans of Disney Star Wars. Disney Star Wars is not Star Wars though.
Edit:
My bad, you said it yourself - "as a viewer of Disney SW". No objection here.
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PaintTinJr
Member
I completely agree it isn't Lucas SW, but I suspect it still doesn't stop most of us that have tried to erase the Disney trilogy from our minds to keep going back to Disney SW stuff and find nuggets with in (Clone Wars,etc) to keep the Lucas SW embers alive, and value that more than 99% of what we watch on the other two major services.
They have the old star wars on there too so why wouldn't it be? I don’t subscribe anymore to it though since I got my fix of everything.
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PaintTinJr
Member
That's the thing though, if you unsubbed over 6months ago you could easily have missed some of the newer content, and even if ObiWan was a mixed bag, and the current Acolyte is almost hitting terrestrial tv funded levels of low production quality it still holds the promise of something really great like Andor and invariable informs the SW fan about SW lore.
In the back of my mind is the hope we may eventually get something brilliantly written and produced that begins with Mace Windu falling in an electrified state with one arm and unconscious into the depths of Coruscant - as was his exit point in RotS - with a return story for the top Jedi, seemingly making all the Disney SW filler endured and subs paid, somehow worth while
.
Negotiator101
Member
They said next-gen Xbox is in development, that's the only information we can go on. Whatever form it takes it will carry the Xbox brand that's for certain.
Topher
Identifies as young
Definitely not abandoning gaming hardware. That's a good thing.
digital_ghost
Member
Tobad they ended the Halo show.
If Sony owned paramount Sony would effectively be making the halo tv series
Would have been funny as hell to see Sony credits or logo on the halo show.
I mean they already bought bungie.
Not that the show was any good.
If Sony owned paramount Sony would effectively be making the halo tv series
Would have been funny as hell to see Sony credits or logo on the halo show.
I mean they already bought bungie.
Not that the show was any good.