iWorld
Netflix backs WBD board, doubles down on blockbuster merger
CALIFORNIA: Netflix has thrown its full weight behind Warner Bros. Discovery’s board, endorsing its unanimous decision to stick with the Netflix merger and rebuff Paramount Skydance’s revised takeover bid. The message from Los Gatos is unequivocal: this is the deal that matters.
After what it called a “comprehensive and rigorous” review, the WBD board has reaffirmed that the Netflix transaction delivers the best outcome for shareholders, creators and audiences alike. Netflix welcomed the stance, describing the agreement as a rare alignment of scale, creative muscle and financial certainty in an industry addicted to leverage and noise.
Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, co-ceos of Netflix, said the combination would fuse two complementary storytelling powerhouses. Together, they argued, Netflix and Warner Bros. would expand creative opportunities, strengthen theatrical and streaming slates, and sharpen competition across a rapidly consolidating entertainment landscape.
The economics are hefty. Under the agreement announced in December, Netflix will acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a cash-and-stock deal valuing WBD at $27.75 per share, with an enterprise value of about $82.7 billion. Crucially, the structure preserves the planned spin-off of Discovery Global, WBD’s linear networks arm, expected to list in Q3 2026.
Regulatory wheels are already turning. Netflix has filed under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and is engaging with competition authorities in the US and Europe. The companies expect the deal to close within 12 to 18 months.
The contrast with the rival bid is stark. Only a day earlier, WBD’s board had dismissed Paramount Skydance’s offer as risky, debt-heavy and poor value, urging shareholders not to tender their stock. Netflix’s endorsement underlines that assessment, reinforcing the sense that the race is no longer close.
In a streaming world crowded with ambition but short on conviction, Netflix and Warner Bros. are betting on scale with purpose. If approved, the merger will not just reshape balance sheets—it will redraw the map of global storytelling.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
