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CNN host Jake Tapper’s reaction summed it up on Thursday as he told viewers the future of the network was affected by the decision of Netflix to back out of buying the cable channel’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
“We have some breaking news in our national lead that affects everybody I’m looking at right now in the studio,” he said as he turned his head to look around the room.
Tapper continued, “Moments ago, Netflix said it is declining to raise its offer for the purchase of Warner Bros. Studios and HBO, following the Warner Bros. Discovery board’s determination that Paramount, which is not just going for Warner Bros. Studios and HBO, but also the whole enchilada, including us here at CNN.”
Tapper explained, “Paramount has submitted a superior offer, according to Warner Bros. Discovery’s board. As I’ve noted, Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN.”
Netflix dropped its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday after the company announced Paramount’s latest bid to buy all of its assets, including CNN, was “superior.”
The sale would put Paramount CEO David Ellison — who has a close relationship with President Donald Trump and has angered liberals for installing Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News — in charge of CNN.
The mood inside CNN was “horrific” on Friday as network leadership sought to calm fears of anxious staffers worried about the possible corporate merger.
NETFLIX BACKS OUT OF WARNER BROS BIDDING WAR AFTER PARAMOUNT MADE ‘SUPERIOR’ OFFER
A drone view shows a sign for Paramount in front of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California, December 8, 2025. (Daniel Cole/Reuters)
“The mood is horrific,” a CNN insider told Digital. “People are very upset.”
A second CNN insider said that staffers feel “a mix of despair, apprehension and curiosity.”
“Look, I think this is a place that has gone through a lot. A lot of mergers in the past decade. A lot of ‘fresh’ starts,” they said.
“I think there is an underlying fear of mixing two news divisions,” the CNN insider continued. “Who is gonna get canned?”
BARI WEISS SUGGESTS CECOT ’60 MINUTES’ PIECE SHE DELAYED WASN’T ‘FAIR’ IN MEMO TO STAFFERS
While most corporate mergers of this magnitude come with headcount reductions, many CNN staffers are well aware that CBS News has undergone both layoffs and directional changes since Ellison took over last year.
Weiss, who was handpicked by Ellison, has bluntly told staffers they are “not producing a product that enough people want.” She has also taken steps to tamp down the liberal slant that was prominent at CBS News before the Ellison takeover.
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‘ Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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