Warner Bros Discovery considering break up: FT

According to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:) is considering a plan to break up its digital streaming and studio businesses from its legacy TV networks.

The media giant, which owns the likes of CNN and HBO, is said to have discussed the plan as it assesses how to boost its share price.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times said Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav was looking at various strategic options, including selling assets and splitting off its Warner Bros movie studio and Max streaming service into a new company.

WBD shares are down more than 23% this year, while its stock has fallen by over 32% in the last 12 months, despite a 21% gain in the last month.

The Financial Times said Warner Bros Discovery has not yet hired an investment bank to initiate any specific transaction, although its top management has been speaking with advisors.

Furthermore, the publication says people close to WBD have informally approached advisers to rival media companies to understand if they would be interesting in looking at potential M&A options with some of its existing assets.

However, they note that a break-up seems to be the strongest option.

In a note to clients this week, analysts at Bank of America said WBD could create value for its shareholders if it explored strategic options, including a potential sale.

“While several financial assumptions behind the combination of Warner Media and Discovery have not materialized, we still believe several of WBD’s assets are best in class with tremendous unrecognized value,” Bank of America said in a note.

Furthermore, analysts at Benchmark said in a note that the “Warner Bros. studio, prospectively Max/HBO and even CNN still rank as crown jewel global media assets with a WBD stock price recovery also dependent on easing linear network tail value erosion.”