Discovery Networks

Paramount has a temporary financing package in place for the combined company, but it hasn't locked in a maximum rate on more permanent borrowings for the transaction

Trump has already signalled one personal precondition for a sale: new ownership of longtime bogeyman CNN, in a bid to exert more favorable coverage from the cable network

Trump said his primary concern is that the current management of the network may be rewarded by being allowed to continue operating "with money" from a sale

If Paramount prevails in its $108 bn hostile bid for Warner Bros., it wouldn't need approval from the FCC or Congress, but the contact reflects a broad-based US campaign to shore up support for a deal

By choosing Netflix, Warner Bros. has jilted another bidder, Paramount Skydance Corp., a move that risks touching off a political battle in Washington

The worries raised by the movie and TV industry's biggest trade groups come against the backdrop of falling movie and TV production, slack ticket sales and steep job cuts in Hollywood

Netflix's multibillion-dollar pledge is also a sign of how heated the bidding war got for control of the iconic Hollywood studio

Warner Bros. said it would evaluate strategic options last month after receiving interest in all or part of the business from multiple suitors. The first round of bids are expected today

Paramount, led by David Ellison, has several options, including boosting its bid, going directly to shareholders or finding additional backing through a financial partner

Both companies have struggled as consumers have canceled cable-TV subscriptions in favor of a new generation of streaming services

Discovery shareholders would own 29% of the new company

Of the top 10 kids networks almost all - Viacom 18, WarnerMedia, Disney, Sony Yay, Discovery Kids, and Sun Network - have seen a rise of 20-100 per cent in viewership.

Bajaj will be based in Mumbai and report to Arthur Bastings, president and managing director of Discovery Networks Asia Pacific