WBD David Zaslav Wishes Netflix Well , Cant Wait To Work With Paramount

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That was fast. A week ago <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/warner-bros-discovery/">Warner Bros. Discovery</a> had a deal in hand with <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/netflix/">Netflix</a>. Today, it wished the giant streamer well but has moved on.</p>
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“Netflix is a great company and throughout this process Ted, Greg, Spence and everyone there have been extraordinary partners to us. We wish them well in the future,” said <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/wbd/">WBD</a> CEO <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/david-zaslav/">David Zaslav</a> in a statement after his company earlier in the day shifted its sights to <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/02/warner-bros-discovery-netflix-paramount-merger-1236737878/">Paramount’s “company superior offer,”</a> which <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/02/netflix-declines-to-raise-offer-for-warner-bros-1236738005/">Netflix decided not to counter</a>. </p>
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“Once our Board votes to adopt the <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/paramount/">Paramount</a> merger agreement, it will create tremendous value for our shareholders. We are excited about the potential of a combined Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery and can’t wait to get started working together telling the stories that move the world.”

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<p>Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are co-CEOs of Netflix. Spencer Neumann is its CFO.</p>
<p>Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr., chair of the Warner Bros. Discovery board, said today he’s “extremely proud of the rigorous process this Board has run over the past five and a half months that has led us to the cusp of combining these two storied companies and the excitement it will bring to audiences for many years to come.”</p>
<p>It’s tough out there.</p>
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WBD agreed in a December 5 deal to sell its streaming and studio assets to Netflix for what ended up being $27.75 a share in cash. Paramount’s <a href="https://deadline.com/tag/david-ellison/">David Ellison</a> continued to lob offers for the entire company, all rejected, but sweeteners in the last bid convinced WBD a conversation was needed and from that emerged what was deemed the superior offer.</p>
<p>Netflix had four business days to match, starting today, but opted instead to bow out.</p>
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There are a few consolations. <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/02/warner-bros-paramount-merger-reactions-1236738004/">Netflix stock is up today</a> — investors disliked the deal, preferring the streamer as it has mostly been, a finally tuned precision tool, no big complications.</p>
<p>Netflix will also walk away with a cool $2.8 billion breakup fee from WBD (but funded by Paramount).</p>
<p>And it forced a rival studio to pony up more cash in what will be the biggest leveraged buyout in history.</p>
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<h2>25 Comments</h2>
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Anonymous<p>Zaslav only cares how many zeroes are on the check so he can keep cosplaying Robert Evans.</p></li>
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Mad as hell, will keep taking it<p>Can’t wait? Can’t wait to get personally paid hundreds of millions of dollars as a reward for delivering negative value to the company over the past three years while thousands of people will lose their jobs.</p><p>The billionaire class is absolutely destroying America.</p><p>And we’re letting them.</p></li>
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WB Employee<p>What an idiot! Zaslav, you’re about to be fired. You deserve it. Most hated exec. in the business.</p></li>
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