Netflix withdraws offer for HBO and Warner Apfelpatient

Netflix will not become the new owner of Warner Bros. Discovery. After a multi-billion dollar takeover bid and intensive negotiations, the deal has fallen through. Although Netflix initially had the upper hand in December with an $83 billion offer, the company has now definitively withdrawn its bid. This ends a potential acquisition that would have brought HBO and the venerable film and television studio Warner Bros. under the Netflix umbrella.

The streaming industry is undergoing a period of strategic realignment. Netflix regularly reviews major investments and potential acquisitions to strengthen its market position. Warner Bros. Discovery was considered an attractive target because of its valuable brands and extensive content library, including HBO and the Warner Bros. studio.

Despite its strategic importance, financial discipline has always been paramount for Netflix. And this very point has now proven decisive.

Netflix's $83 billion offer

In December, Netflix outbid Paramount with an $83 billion offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery initially acknowledged Netflix as having the strongest offer.

However, the situation did not remain stable. Paramount Skydance continued to exert pressure on WBD and steadily developed its own offering.

Finally, Warner Bros. Discovery informed Netflix that its board had decided Paramount Skydance's latest offer was a "better offer" within the meaning of the existing merger agreement between WBD and Netflix, Inc.

Netflix is not increasing its offerings

Following this decision, Netflix officially announced that it would not be increasing its own subscription price any further. This also meant abandoning its plans to become the new owner of HBO and the film and television studio Warner Bros.

Netflix also stated that it would not accept Paramount's offer for Skydance. Instead of entering a bidding war, the company withdrew completely. Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters released a statement on the matter, which reads:

The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid.

Netflix executives also described Warner Bros. Discovery as a "nice to have" at the right price, but not a "must have" at any cost. This wording underscores the economic considerations behind the decision.

Strategic analysis of the failed deal

The potential merger would have meant a clear shift in the industry: a technology-oriented entertainment company would have taken over a classic film and television studio.

With Netflix's withdrawal, the situation is now developing differently. Instead of a tech acquisition, a merger of two established studios is on the table. The focus is thus shifting from a platform-driven merger to a classic industry merger.

New cooperation between Netflix and Apple in the Formula 1 sector

Regardless of the failed acquisition deal, Netflix announced new plans in the sports sector together with Apple.

Both companies are planning a content exchange related to Formula 1. The next season of the series "Drive to Survive" will be available on Apple TV in the US. Additionally, the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix will be streamed on both Apple TV and Netflix.

Apple TV is the new home for Formula 1 streaming starting this season. This collaboration demonstrates that, alongside its major acquisition plans, Netflix is also focusing on strategic partnerships.

Netflix abandons its acquisition plans for Warner Bros. Discovery

Netflix has officially withdrawn its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, ending one of the largest potential transactions in the media industry. The original $83 billion offer was not increased after Warner Bros. Discovery deemed Paramount Skydance's revised offer superior.

The decision underscores Netflix's financial discipline. Warner Bros. Discovery will remain outside the Netflix group. Instead, a potential merger of two traditional studios is now the focus.

At the same time, Netflix is pursuing other strategic avenues, such as new collaborations like the Formula 1 content deal with Apple. The streaming market thus remains dynamic, even without the planned acquisition. (Image: Shutterstock / Elliott Cowand Jr)