In a recent opinion piece for The Fulcrum, HLF president Mario H. Lopez analyzes the dynamics surrounding the sale of entertainment company Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

Multiple media giants are reportedly interested, and any buyout would face logistical, financial, and regulatory hurdles before it could become reality.  The developments come in a changing media landscape.  Lopez writes that as “Big Tech giants continue their entertainment expansions, the question is no longer whether the industry will consolidate, but how and under whose leadership”

In the present regulatory climate, political feasibility is a reality, whether justified or not.  Even in a more ‘normal’ times, any major merger involving companies of this size, especially media companies, would face intense scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers.  

Potential WBD buyers include Amazon, Netflix, Comcast, and Paramount-Skydance.  Read the whole piece for conclusions as to which of these firms is likely to face a less thorny regulatory path.