Legacy movie theater owners don't like the $83 billion deal with Netflix acquiring the major businesses of WBD. They fear fewer theatrical releases, with more going to streaming.

MS NOW will have a new direct-to-consumer offering next summer under the new brand name.

The limited theater showing of the "Stranger Things" finale on December 31 will also be simultaneously aired on Netflix's streaming platform.

The effort is intended to bring more viewers to engage with content, for longer duration - especially on what have been lower viewing days/nights.

After a big movie weekend, looking at overall business, two major theater chains went south. The largest U.S. company, AMC Entertainment Holdings, was down 3% in early Monday morning trading to $2.38.

Paramount's viewing share would jump to an average 14.2% by adding all of WBD, per Nielsen's distributor index, but with the merger, it would top leading YouTube's 12.4% average.

Global TV shipments for Q2 hit their biggest snag of the year - down 2.1% year-over-year. For full-year 2025, global shipments are estimated at around 208.7 million units - essentially flat vs the previous year, down 0.1% year-over-year.

From a consumer experience perspective, FAST maturity is still a ways off. Growth of over 17% is expected through the next five years, to reach $27.14 billion.

Media analysts say that perhaps more than other bidders, Netflix may run into regulatory, anticompetitive concerns - much more than Paramount and Comcast.

"Beneath these comps, the industry remains healthy," writes Laurent Yoon, Bernstein Research media analyst. The Q3 period average profit margin is 19% for the industry.