Now Streaming: Paramount, Comcast said to eye Warner Bros

“Now Streaming” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories surrounding the biggest content streamers.

PLAYING THIS WEEKEND: Among this weekend’s new streaming content is the final movie in the Conjuring universe, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” and the horror pic “Him,” produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypay Productions. Also available this week is “Freakier Friday,” the sequel to the 2003 Disney (DIS) movie “Freaky Friday.”

WARNER BROS. BID: Paramount Skydance (PSKY) has had talks about its interest in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) with Legendary Entertainment and Apollo Global (APO), Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions are related in part to Legendary’s investment in certain Warner Bros.’ movie franchises, including “Dune,” “Godzilla,” and “Minecraft,” the author says, noting that Apollo could also be an investor in a deal.

The list of suitors for Warner Bros. Discovery is set to grow, with possible bidders including Comcast (CMCSA), Charles Gasparino of The New York Post reports. As previously reported, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is in discussions with private equity giants to possibly purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, in a deal worth over $60B. However, sources say Ellison is looking for alternative sources for cash due to worries Larry Ellison, the second-richest person in the world, is not enthused about paying for another major media acquisition after Paramount. Additionally, Comcast may soon join the list of bidders, sources close to Paramount Skydance tell the Post.

SORA APP: Disney has opted out of having its IP appear in OpenAI’s Sora app, while Hollywood talent agency CAA says that OpenAI is exposing artists to “significant risk” through Sora, Reuters’ Mrinmay Dey reports.

CONTRACT RENEWAL: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed in an internal note to staff that the contracts of Warner Bros. Pictures co-heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are being renewed for an unspecified amount of time, Variety’s Brent Lang reports. Zaslav had reportedly been interviewing replacements for De Luca and Abdy earlier this year in the wake of flops like “Joker: Folie a Deux,” “The Alto Knights” and “Mickey 17,” but blockbusters like “A Minecraft Movie” grossed nearly $1B. “When I first arrived at the studio, recommitting this storied company to its theatrical roots, renewing Warner Bros. longstanding role as a home for the world’s best storytellers, and reestablishing this iconic studio to its position as an industry leader in terms of quality and box office success were among my key objectives,” Zaslav wrote. “Bringing Mike & Pam on to lead this team was an important step to achieve those goals, and I am excited to share with you that we have re-upped their deal to enable them to continue the stellar work they and this team will do over the next several years bringing the very best movies to cinemas around the world.”

CRO: Paramount has named Jay Askinasi, Roku‘s (ROKU) ad sales leader, as CRO, ADWEEK’s Bill Bradley reports. Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, announced that Askinasi will take on the newly created chief revenue officer role, leading the company’s monetization strategy and strengthening its position as a “next-generation media company.” The executive spearheaded ad sales while at Roku, joining the company in 2024, the author notes. Despite Askinasi leading the company’s ad sales team, ADWEEK has learned that John Halley, president of Paramount Advertising, will stay in his role, reporting to Askinasi.

STOCK PLAYS: Other publicly traded companies in the space include Netflix (NFLX), Amazon (AMZN), FuboTV (FUBO), Apple (AAPL), and AMC Networks (AMCX).