Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. in $83 Billion Deal to Create a Streaming Giant

Netflix announced plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business, in a deal that will send shock waves through Hollywood and the broader media landscape. The cash-and-stock deal values the business at $82.7 billion, including debt. The acquisition is expected to close after Warner Bros. Discovery carves out its cable unit, which the companies expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2026. That means there will be a separate public company controlling channels like CNN, TNT, and Discovery. Netflix is already the world’s largest paid streaming service, with more than 300 million subscribers. Bulking up with Warner Bros. Discovery assets would create a colossus with greater leverage over theater owners and entertainment-industry unions. It could force smaller companies to merge as they scramble to compete.