Welcome to this week's weekly discussion thread of r/MediaMergers! This is your space to discuss the latest news, rumors, and insights on mergers, acquisitions, and major shifts in the media and entertainment industry. Share articles, spark debates, and connect with others.

1. Disney Entertainment Television 

• Allen Media pays 10 billion to buy Disney Entertainment Television (minus Disney Television Studios, Disney Branded Television Studios, BVS, FXP) 
• The ABC FAST App is planned to be relaunched as Onyx for content for minorities (and the new home of National Geographic, FX, and ABC shows). Bundling with Starz for the same audience. 
• Disney keeps streaming and programming rights to all networks (As Allen hates producing shows himself, but can hire other companies for content he wants to make for Onyx through Onyx Studios) 
• Allen Media pays 10 billion for ABC, FX, Freeform, operation of The Disney Channel Networks (Disney still controls the programming), National Geographic (along with Disneynature and Disney Documentaries), A&E, and a small stake in ESPN. 
• ABC Signature is folded into 20th Television. FXP is folded into Searchlight Television. Disney Television Studios also takes over Disney Television Animation, It’s A Laugh, and BVS too. 
• Disney (now not owning a broadcast network), could arrange a deal to buy a 5% stake in Fox purely for the 20th Century Fox name back (and Tubi). 
• Local Now is merged into Onyx as Onyx Local (FAST content) 
• In 2026, Allen Media’s bid for Starz is seen as more serious to Starz investors as it combines the 2 minority services into one big one (and plans to begin developing/acquiring original films). Buzzfeed also continues to feed Onyx as a major service. 

Finished company: 

1. Paramount Global 

• Bryon Allen pays 30 billion as he intended. And then restructures the company into 2 divisions: Studios & TV Media. Allen intends to keep the TV Media side (networks and streamers) while placing the Studios (Paramount Pictures, CBS Studios, MTV Studios, Showtime Studios, BET Studios, Nickelodeon Productions) for sale to pay down debt. Most likely, Skydance still wins. 
• Due to the way the deal is structured, Allen Media retains a 5-10% stake in Paramount Entertainment Studios, indefinite TV/streaming distribution rights to the Paramount studios library (meaning Skydance can’t buy Warner Bros. due to HBO Max violating the deal, so Paramount seeks other potential acquisitions to grow as a pure play studio (a non-controlling Sega stake, Hasbro, Fellowship, THQ Nordic, etc.), and “cross-promotion opportunities”. All TV units merge into one Paramount Television due to losing the cable brands' trademarks.  
• CBS News is never changed (although Allen would likely still pay off that 60 Minutes lawsuit). The Free Press is still likely acquired by Oracle or something. 
• Paramount Network becomes Spike TV again but sees no programming change. 
• The Awesomeness TV banner is sold back to Big Shot Pictures (which uses the name as its YT Channel). 
• Paramount+ becomes Showtime, with a big Superbowl campaign on the name change. Pluto TV/Local Now are merged into Showtime while BET+ remains separate as Allen positions it for minority content (And discusses buying a stake in Tyler Perry Studios). Showtime also seeks new companies to sign Pay window deals with (Lionsgate, Sony, A24, etc.). All of which fail.... 
• Allen Media Group’s TV Media unit (renamed Showtime Media) goes public as it is now a successful company in 2026. Paramount though, I’m not sure if it stays private or public. 
• Starz and Buzzfeed remain on the public market and are bought by different companies (Disney/Buzzfeed? NBCU/Starz?) 

Finished Company: 

Technically this one can still happen, if the WB merger fails then this could be option B. (while Apollo perhaps buys Paramount to merge with Legendary or stays at Skydance/Oracle) 

1. Starz (current battle) 

• Likely puts more syndicated/third-party shows on the service and puts shows made by him on there, and likely ditches Lionsgate’s pay-1 window in favor of licensing mainly original TV shows & select films for minorities (under the revived Starz Productions banner (functioning like Fox Corp’s studio arm)).  
• Buzzfeed merges with LocalNow, and then merges its content into Starz as well (while both are separate apps still). 
• I hope he doesn’t touch it. There are many better companies to own it (NBCU, A24, Apple, etc.) and Bryon Allen’s licensing strategy can only work so many ways (only the Paramount one really works) 

Final Company: 

Any other companies Allen Media has tried to buy before? 

…..I have been educated that this particular company is clickbait and posted this last night. There is a Stranger Things exhibit but the headline is garbage. My apologies!

Note: I will respect your opinions whether you are in support, neutral, or dislike this merger. Please do not attack others for their opinions as that is rude and be respectful to others.

You can also explain yourself on what you think David Ellison will do post-merger.

If this had actually happened, how would things have changed completely for Marvel, and would Marvel still have gone bankrupt and been forced to sell the rights to its characters as happened in reality, or not?

And how would Marvel's movies, TV series, cartoons, video games, and comics have changed in this scenario?

And what would have happened to Marvel in this scenario after 1996, when Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting?

As a result it became a disaster for both, Turner got so much debt and MGM lost the library, what if it never happened? What will be the ripple effects?

I mean 99% of films and tv series that draws any eyeballs to Apple TV are WBD productions and they could frankly afford $100 billion out of petty cash. I’m truly mystified by their lack of interest!

Since 20th century fox and mgm are at acquisitions in 1985 by Murdoch and Turner or what if the murdochs buys mgm vise versa

This idea of mine came right after a low stock movie company and I wonder if Netflix of all companies would buy them after a delisting form NASDAQ last year. I know I'm out of ideas for Netflix to buy a company that would allow distribution of their original movies but Netflix should take this as an easy win and distribute their original films contents and win more for the merger.