Here’s What David Ellison Texted the Warner Bros. CEO After Hostile Takeover Attempt

Paramount CEO David Ellison has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav after making a hostile bid to buy the company.

According to the Financial Times, Ellison sent Zaslav a text saying, “David, I appreciate you’re underwater today so I wanted to send you a quick text. Know despite the noise of the last 24 hours I have nothing but respect and admiration for you and the company… It would be the honour of a lifetime to be your partner and to be the owner of these iconic assets. If we have the privilege to work together you will see that my father and I are the people you had dinner with.”

The message comes as Paramount makes a major push to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Ellison has shared his plans not only with WBD’s board and shareholders but also with his own employees. In an email sent to Paramount staff just after 3 p.m. ET on Monday, he laid out his vision for the deal.

“We believe the combination of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery represents a powerful opportunity to strengthen both companies and the entertainment industry as a whole,” Ellison wrote, according to Business Insider, which first obtained the memo.

Ellison emphasized that his all-cash offer of $30 per share for WBD is higher than Netflix’s $27.75 bid for WBD’s streaming and studio assets, including Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max. The Paramount CEO hopes that investors and employees will support the takeover, presenting it as a chance to create a media powerhouse that can compete with Netflix and YouTube.

“Our motivation for pursuing Warner Bros. Discovery has been consistent from the start. We love this industry and believe deeply in its future,” Ellison said in the memo. He also highlighted the importance of storytelling, calling it “one of America’s greatest cultural and economic exports.”

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos made a similar appeal focused on American jobs when discussing the deal with President Donald Trump. “What the president has been interested in, in this deal, has been: To what extent does it protect and create jobs in America?” Sarandos said at an industry conference on Monday.

While Netflix argues that its proposal would benefit consumers and the entertainment industry, Paramount is pitching a different message, focusing on the combined company’s strength and future potential.

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