Paramount Looking To Increase Its Bid For Warner Bros. Discovery To $71 Billion

David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is said to be turning to new partners in the Middle East to help back his offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in its entirety.

Paramount Skydance has formed an investment consortium with the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to submit a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, sources told Variety. The bid is being largely backed by the Ellison family (which owns 100% voting control in Paramount Skydance) with involvement from three Arab countries: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the sources said. In addition, Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital is backing the bid.

Each of the funds would put up $7 billion (for a total of $21 billion); Paramount Skydance would front $50 billion for a proposed WBD acquisition for a total of $71 billion. (It’s not clear if that price tag would be inclusive of debt.) The board of Warner Bros. Discovery had previously rejected a $23.50/share offer from David Ellison.

The board of Warner Bros. Discovery has set a Nov. 20 deadline for initial bids from interested acquirers, which also include Comcast and Netflix.

Separately Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was meeting at the White House with President Trump.

Meanwhile, Comcast co-CEO Brian Roberts traveled to Saudi Arabia in late October to attend a conference in Riyadh hosted by the PIF, Variety has confirmed. He also visited Qiddiya, where the country is building a theme park destination, to scope out the area for a possible Universal park in the area. But it’s not known whether Roberts solicited investment backing from the Saudis for a Warner Bros. bid by Comcast.

Reps for Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast declined to comment.

Under the scenario in the WBD bid led by Paramount Skydance, the Saudi, Qatar and Abu Dhabi funds would hold small minority stakes in Warner Bros. Discovery. Each of the three would get “an IP, a movie premiere, a movie shoot,” a knowledgeable source told Variety. “All they care about is reputation and soft power,” the source added.

The Saudis do not have “any incentive” to join a prospective Comcast bid for Warner Bros. (excluding WBD’s linear TV networks) because their understanding is that “the Trump administration doesn’t like Comcast CEO Brian Roberts at all,” the source said.

Trump, who has regularly been upset about the coverage of Comcast-owned MSNBC (which is now called MS NOW), earlier this year called Roberts the “chairman of ‘Concast’” and a “lowlife.” Trump has equated the cable news outlet to “an illegal arm of the Democrat Party,” and claimed that Comcast “should be forced to pay vast sums of money for the damage they’ve done to our Country.”

Saudis Reportedly Eyeing Warner Bros. Discovery With Comcast

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia – reportedly worth upwards of a trillion dollars – may be entering the fray for a potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), and it may be teaming up with Comcast Corporation.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts recently traveled to Saudi Arabia, where he held meetings with PIF officials while exploring a WBD bid.

According to The New York Post and Puck News, Roberts also visited Qiddiya, the site of Saudi Arabia’s upcoming “megacity of play” where a Universal‑branded theme park is expected in partnership with Comcast’s theme‑park business.

Why the Saudis Are Interested: Studios, Streaming & Theme Parks

The Saudi connection makes strategic sense. The PIF may want the Warner Bros./DC brand as the anchor for a Universal Studios park in Qiddiya, pairing with Comcast’s existing theme‑park infrastructure.

A Saudi–Comcast alliance would thus bring global content, streaming/IP rights, and a real‑world destination into one package.

Meanwhile, WBD is already positioned for sale: the company plans to split into two public entities — one focused exclusively on studios and streaming (Warner Bros.), and the other on linear networks (Discovery Global) — by mid‑2026.

Fewer Regulatory Hurdles Thanks to Spinoffs

Regulatory concerns that typically plague big media mergers may be reduced in this case.

Comcast is spinning off its U.S. cable networks and related news assets into a new publicly traded company called Versant Media Group Inc., which will leave Comcast primarily with its theme‑park, streaming, and studio assets.

At the same time, WBD’s planned split isolates the studio/streaming business from its legacy cable networks, making the part that potential buyers want cleaner and more streamlined.

What It Means for the WBD Sale Race

If a Saudi–Comcast bid materializes, it could throw a new wrinkle into the running, which already includes Paramount Global/Skydance (led by David Ellison) and streaming players like Netflix.

The presence of Saudi backing adds serious firepower and global ambition. With WBD stock already rising past $20 and Zaslav aiming for far more, a new bidder like this could accelerate or reshape the bidding war.

The article was originally published by Cosmic Book News

Paramount Cancels DORA And 2D-Animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles On Nickelodeon

The upcoming seasons of Nickelodeon's CG-animated DORA and 2D-animated Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be their last.

Season two of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premieres on Paramount+ in December and will run on Nicktoons next year. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures, the series bridges the gap between Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures' blockbuster TMNT movie, Mutant Mayhem, and it's upcoming sequel, currently slated for release in 2027. The franchise is expected to continue with IDW's TMNT comics.

The debut of Dora‘s fourth season on the streamer was originally slated for the fourth quarter of this year, but is now TBD. It too will be followed by a linear window on Nick Jr. A fifth and final season of Dora also has been produced; its fate is unclear. A reimagining of Nickelodeon's iconic Latina heroine, the series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation, with the show's cancellation coming as the franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Paramount is actively exploring third-party licensing opportunities for both series, something the company has been doing consistently for a number of years, with a number of Nickelodeon titles available on Netflix, for example.

The cancellation decisions come on the heels of the post Paramount-Skydance merger restructuring. In it, all Paramount linear networks, including Nickelodeon, as well as the Nickelodeon Animation Studios, which produces the majority of the Nick animated shows, including Dora and Ninja Turtles, were consolidated into a TV Media division overseen by Chair George Cheeks.

In a memo last week announcing TV Media’s executive structure, Cheeks hinted at a slimming down the current roster of cable series.

“Our cable brands will focus on a more curated slate, optimizing programming and marketing resources to amplify what resonates most,” he said. “That means leaning into franchises like SpongeBob, PAW Patrol, RuPaul’s Drag Race, South Park, Ms. Pat and The Daily Show, while continuing to develop new IP across our studios and seeking new ways to amplify and connect with audiences.”

Not surprisingly, Nick’s flagship franchises, SpongeBob SquarePants and PAW Patrol, made the list of priority linear brands. Neither Dora nor Ninja Turtles did but both have a long history at the network and may be revisited in the future with new iterations.

The Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cancellation was first reported by The InSneider.

Sky New Zealand Launches Two New Channels To Replace Paramount's Offering And Cartoon Network

Sky New Zealand is launching two new self-branded channels to replace Paramount’s Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Comedy Central and Cartoon Network, which are ceasing transmission from early December.

The new offerings, Sky Comedy and Sky Kids, will carry programming from the expiring channels in addition to new shows from a range of studios and locally commissioned content.

“Kids and comedy programming are at the heart of Sky’s entertainment offering. By bringing these important channels ‘in-house’ we can choose and curate the content that we know our customers enjoy and engage with, combining Paramount fan favourites with content from other studios,” said Fiona Murray, Sky NZ’s head of entertainment.

Sky Comedy will feature Comedy Central content including the final season of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, South Park, The Daily Show and Beavis & Butt-Head, in addition to retro classics including Cheers, Reno 911!, Nathan For You and Key & Peele.

Sky Kids is being pitched as offering educational programming for preschoolers through to primary school-age children. Former Nickelodeon and Nick Jr content will be included alongside “a strong slate of local programming.”

The new outlet will complement the existing CBeebies channel, providing local content including Katie’s Kuri and The Last Moa, as well as multiple seasons of home-grown hits such as Kiri & Lou, The Drawing Show, Extreme Cake Sports and Secrets at Red Rocks.

Sky NZ said some content from the axed channels will continue to be available via on-demand on the new Sky Experience service across the Sky Box and Sky Pod platforms. Cartoon Network content will continue to be available on-demand through the HBO Max hub via the Sky Entertainment package.

The broadcaster has also partnered with Mood TV to bring two new local music channels to its channel line-up, Juice TV and J2, which effectively replace MTV Hits and MTV 80s. In line with the global shutdown of the MTV brand, the music channels will no longer be available via linear in New Zealand.

In October, it was announced that MTV linear channels would progressively shut down in the UK, Poland, France and Brazil. In Australia, the MTV brand has suffered a similar fate, with its channels having been shut down weeks ago by OTT provider Fetch TV. Paramount owned Australian channels MTV 80s, MTV 90s, MTV 00s, MTV Club and MTV Hits which were previously carried by Foxtel in a deal that was not renewed.

All changes to Sky NZ programming take effect from December 2.

Nickelodeon International Will Be Premiering Two Brand New Transformers: EarthSpark Season Four Specials In December 2025

In Part One, "Hometown Heroes", every victory has a cost, and now the Maltos must face those consequences. Robby's caught abusing his powers, but Mo and "Detective" Thrash team up to prove their brother's innocence. Meanwhile, Twitch becomes her own worst enemy...(S4 993)

Full synopsis: Over the years, the Maltos and the Autobots have vanquished foes and protected Earth from destruction, but some victories have come at a tragic cost... Now, some are painting the heroes as villains and the Maltos must face those consequences. Even though Robby's powers give him status amongst his peers and purpose in his community, when he's caught abusing his power, he's unwittingly proving his detractors right. Sensing something isn't right, Mo and "Detective" Thrash team up to prove their brother was set up. Meanwhile, Twitch obsesses over mistakes she's made in the past and she becomes her own worst enemy. Still, the Maltos and the Autobots rally to battle enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy them - and other worlds. Twitch fails her team when they need her the most, and Robby can't be there for his sister to lean on. Luckily, an old ally arrives in in time to help. In the end, the heroes unite and end the fight, but the Maltos may never be the same again. TO BE CONTINUED...

Then, in Part Two, "Legacy of Hope," the Maltos and the Autobots search Cybertron for their missing allies. Failure is not an option, so Thrash steps up to help his struggling sister lead this important mission. Meanwhile, Robby and Mo find a new friend, and Optimus finds an old enemy. (S4 992)

Long synopsis: Robby and Mo are alone and vulnerable on Cybertron. After they venture into the unknown to find what they've lost, the rest of the Maltos and the Autobots arrive to search for their missing family and friends. Failure is not an option, so Thrash steps up to help his struggling sister lead this important mission. Tension builds between the troubled Twitch and the ultra-confident Thrash - dividing the team when they need to be united. Meanwhile, Robby and Mo find a new friend, and Optimus finds an old enemy. A confrontation leaves the Maltos and the Autobots severely weakened and scattered all over Cybertron while their enemy gains incredible strength and power. Twitch loses herself, Robby hits rock bottom, and Optimus Prime believes his worst fears have come true. Each must face their greatest challenges alone, and each needs to succeed if they're to stand a chance at defeating the rising evil on Cybertron threatening to cast its shadow across the entire universe. Luckily, it is in darkness that hope shines brightest.

Nickelodeon International will premiere the all-new Transformers: EarthSpark season four specials in December 2025, including on:

Nickelodeon Central and Eastern Europe (including Africa):

Saturday 6th December 2025 at 15:45 CET: Hometown Heroes

Sunday 7th December 2025 at 15:45 CET: Legacy of Hope

Nickelodeon Germany:

Friday 15th December 2025: Hometown Heroes

Friday 15th December 2025: Legacy of Hope

TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK stars Sydney Mikayla (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts) as Robby Malto, Zion Broadnax (Day Shift) as Mo Malto, Benni Latham (Cornerstones: Founding Voices of the Black Church) as Dot Malto, Jon Jon Briones (Ratched) as Alex Malto, Kathreen Khavari (Dead End: Paranormal Park) as Twitch, Zeno Robinson (Big City Greens) as Thrash, Danny Pudi (Community) as Bumblebee, Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien) as Optimus Prime, Rory McCann (Game of Thrones) as Megatron, Cissy Jones (The Owl House) as Elita-1, Diedrich Bader (Better Things) as Mandroid, Cyrus Arnold (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) as Jawbreaker, Z Infante (Dead End: Paranormal Park) as Nightshade and Stephanie Lemelin (Dawn of the Croods) as Hashtag.

TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK is created and co-executive produced by Dale Malinowski (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and executive produced by Ant Ward (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). The series is developed for television by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Animation for Nickelodeon. Production is overseen for Hasbro Entertainment by Kari Rosenberg and by Leslie Wishnevski for Nickelodeon.

Source: NickAlive!

Disney Junior Relaunching In The UK By November 13th

Remember when Disney shut down all its UK children’s channels back in 2020, telling us Disney+ would be the “exclusive home” for everything? Well, plot twist – Disney Jr is coming back to Sky next week.

The preschool channel launches on Thursday, November 13, joining the Sky Kids pack alongside Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and Sky’s own ad-free kids channel.

It’s a move that would have seemed utterly bizarre five years ago, when Disney was adamant that streaming was the future and linear TV was dead.

Clearly, things have changed.

How We Got Here

Disney Jr has had quite the journey in British television. It started life way back in 1997 as “Disney Channel Underfives” – a programming block for preschoolers on the main Disney Channel.

By 1999, it became Playhouse Disney, and a year later in September 2000, it launched as its own standalone channel on Sky Digital.

If you’re of a certain age, you might remember the live presenters – Dave Benson Phillips and Alex Lovell, known as Big Dave and Little Alex – hosting shows from “the Playhouse”, a colourful set that looked like something out of a Fisher-Price catalogue.

In 2006, Playhouse Disney moved from being a premium add-on to basic Sky packages, and viewing figures shot up. Families clearly loved it.

The channel was rebranded as Disney Jr in May 2011 as part of a worldwide rebrand, and it kept going strong – adding HD in 2013 and even going 24/7 in 2017.

Then Everything Changed

In June 2020, Disney dropped the bombshell. All three of its UK children’s channels – Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Jr – would shut down on 1st October 2020.

The official line was that Disney and Sky couldn’t agree on a new carriage deal. But really, Disney was going all-in on Disney+, which had launched in the UK just six months earlier.

The Disney Channel on Disney Plus

“From October 1st, Disney+ will become the exclusive home for content from Disney Channel, DisneyXD and Disney Jr in the UK,” Disney announced.

And that was that. On September 30, 2020, Disney Jr’s final programme was Gigantosaurus.

After a few promos and a Vampirina music video, the channel cut to a still image of Mickey Mouse, Animal from Muppet Babies, and Vampirina, before vanishing from channel 605 and 606 on Sky.

Virgin Media had already pulled the plug a day earlier. CBBC and CBeebies moved into Disney’s old channel slots, and it genuinely felt like the end of an era.

We all thought that was it – Disney was done with traditional TV in the UK.

What Changed?

Fast forward to 2025 – and it seems Disney’s “streaming-only” strategy hasn’t quite worked out as planned.

Disney+ has seen its growth slow down. Prices have more than doubled since launch – from £5.99 to £14.99 for the premium tier. And the streaming wars have become a bloodbath, with every company scrambling for subscribers.

Earlier this year, Disney did something that would have been unthinkable in 2020 – they struck a deal with ITVX to put premium Disney+ shows like The Bear and Andor on ITV’s free streaming service.

ITVX Disney library

That was the first sign that Disney was willing to play ball with other platforms again.

Now, with Disney Jr returning to Sky, it’s clear Disney has realised that keeping everything locked behind a subscription paywall might not be the smartest move.

Traditional TV still has value – especially for parents of young kids, who often prefer the simplicity of just turning on a channel rather than navigating through yet another streaming app.

And – it gives viewers a taste of what they can find on Disney+.

The Kids TV Apocalypse

The timing of Disney Jr’s return is fascinating, because UK children’s television is currently in crisis.

Just yesterday, we reported that the Pop family of channels – Pop, Tiny Pop, and the rest – are shutting down on Sky and Virgin Media this December. Pop on Freeview is becoming streaming-only.

POP Player

Why? According to Pop’s owner, “commercial value across the UK kids’ TV market is now just 4% of what it was ten years ago.”

CITV shut down in September 2023. With Pop now leaving traditional platforms, the BBC’s CBBC and CBeebies were set to become the only free-to-air linear children’s channels left in the UK.

So Disney Jr coming back to Sky – while everyone else is running away from kids’ TV – is somewhat surprising.

But then again, Disney isn’t relying on advertising revenue like Pop was. Disney Jr will be part of the paid Sky Kids pack, and it’s effectively a shop window for Disney+ subscriptions.

What You Need To Know

Disney Jr HD launches on Sky Satellite, Sky Glass and Sky Stream on November 13. Sky hasn’t confirmed the channel number yet.

The channel will be part of the Sky Kids pack, which now includes 10 live channels – including the ad-free Sky Kids channel, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and now Disney Jr, plus on-demand content.

You’ll be able to watch Disney Jr via the TV guide or on demand on all Sky devices, as well as the Sky Go app.

And before you ask – yes, Disney Jr content will still be on Disney+ as well. This isn’t replacing the streaming option, it’s just giving families another way to watch.

We’ve reached out to Virgin Media to ask whether Disney Jr will also return to their Kids pack, but we haven’t heard back yet. We’ll update this article when they respond.

So What’s Next?

Does this mean Disney Channel and Disney XD could come back too? Who knows. For now, Disney seems to be testing the waters with Disney Jr – which makes sense, given that preschoolers and their parents are probably the demographic most likely to appreciate traditional linear TV.

Originally posted by Cordbusters