𧨠The Battle for Warner Bros.
And What It Means for Streaming in MENA
Hey streamers,
Today weâre talking about Warner Bros., Netflix and Paramount⌠and what this big Hollywood battle means for MENA đ
A big battle is happening in Hollywood right now: Netflix and Paramount both want to buy Warner Bros.
Everyone is talking (and writing ;) about who will win, or if these deals can even close.
But for me, the interesting story is what this means for the MENA region. And itâs not that simple.
Today, Iâll share the key news since last Friday, explain the 2 deals from Netflix and Paramount and, most importantly, show why it matters for streaming in MENA, especially for OSN+.
Read on to learn about:
Whatâs the deal(s)? A simple timeline of the Netflix and Paramount deals, and how the situation changed over the last few days.
Global Giants in MENA: Where Warner Bros., Netflix and Paramount stand in the region today.
đĄ So What? Why this global deal matters for MENA, and what could happen next for OSN+.
Today, most platforms in MENA use global CDNs to deliver movies, series and live sports. But the future of streaming in the region may be all about local delivery. Imagine this đ
â
Fewer errors
đźď¸ Better picture quality
đ More stable streaming
âĄď¸ Videos that start faster
đ Data that stays local and protected
This is becoming more important as streaming grows fast, and global outages continue to affect platforms everywhere.
The good news? CDN companies are already building this future in MENA.
With stronger networks, more local delivery points and better tools to keep platforms fast and reliable đ
Want the full insight?
I explain everything in my new whitepaper, The Power of Locally-Optimized CDN in MENA, created with insights from regional CDN experts like Medianova
Whatâs the deal(s)?
Letâs save time and go straight to the key updates:
On December 5, Netflix entered exclusive talks to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, overtaking bids from Paramount and Comcast.
The company then confirmed an $82.7B agreement to acquire Warner Bros., HBO/HBO Max and WB Games.
On December 6, Netflix emailed its entire subscriber base to âexplainâ the deal, plus shared a full FAQ on its website.
On December 8, President Trump publicly warned that the NetflixâWarner Bros. merger âcould be a problemâ due to market share.
A few hours later, Paramount escalated the situation by launching a $108B hostile takeover offer for all of WBD.
Warner Bros. Discovery responded by saying it would review the proposal and get back within 10 business days.
Netflixâs leadership, meanwhile, insisted they are âsuper-confidentâ the deal will go through, promising to protect jobs, support theatrical releases, and keep Warner Bros. free to license shows to other platforms.
By December 9, Trump refused to choose sides, saying he would personally take part in the regulatory review.
Today, unions are warning that both deals are bad for workers, saying they could mean fewer buyers, fewer projects and more pressure on wages.
I also read that David Ellison spent 12 weeks trying to win WBD with 6 offers and personal meetings with Zaslav, but the board still chose the lower Netflix bid, which explains why Paramount has now gone hostile and taken its offer directly to shareholders.
Now letâs look at both proposals: the deal size, assets, funding, expected impact, and the main challenges.
Netflix Ă Warner Bros.