In what may be a significant benefit to its intellectual property, video games and beyond, Sony is reportedly thinking about acquiring Paramount Pictures.
If the reported offer goes through, Sony could own popular franchises like Mission: Impossible and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which bought anime streaming service Crunchyroll in 2021, is said to be in discussions with investment firm Apollo Global regarding a potential deal to acquire Paramount Pictures. The company owns properties such as Nickelodeon, MTV, and CBS.
Paramount+ might be the biggest attraction for Sony’s film and television division, as Sony currently does not have its own dedicated streaming service. This acquisition could also have implications for video games, potentially leading to adaptations of popular franchises like Star Trek and Mission: Impossible.
As reported by The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter, the proposed joint offer from Sony and Apollo has not been officially submitted yet.
Previously, Apollo made a $26 billion bid for Paramount, but this was apparently rejected due to concerns about their financing. A collaboration with Sony could help address these concerns.
The potential bid comes at a time when Paramount is engaged in exclusive negotiations with Skydance Media, although this deal is reportedly facing opposition from investors.
While the specifics of Sony’s potential bid are not known (and it might not even materialize), the possibility is interesting to consider – particularly in terms of unusual scenarios like Sony having control over the Halo TV series and Sonic The Hedgehog movies.
Other properties owned by Paramount include Top Gun, Transformers, and The Godfather, the latter two of which have been adapted into various games in the past, despite Transformers being essentially a licensed product owned by Hasbro.
A third Sonic The Hedgehog movie, meanwhile, is in development and is scheduled for release in December. This follows the upcoming spin-off miniseries Knuckles, featuring the voice of Idris Elba, which will debut on Paramount+ on April 26.
