Connect with us

Paramount Should Consider Apollo-Sony Deal: Ariel’s Rogers

Ariel Investments founder & co-CEO John Rogers says Paramount Global should consider other proposals before merging with David Ellison’s Skydance Media and that a deal with Apollo Global Management and Sony Group could be a much better outcome for investors. He joins Ed Ludlow and Caroline Hyde to discuss the ousting of Paramount CEO Bob…

Published

on

Ariel Investments founder & co-CEO John Rogers says Paramount Global should consider other proposals before merging with David Ellison’s Skydance Media and that a deal with Apollo Global Management and Sony Group could be a much better outcome for investors. He joins Ed Ludlow and Caroline Hyde to discuss the ousting of Paramount CEO Bob Bakish and what the move means for the company going forward on “Bloomberg Technology.”
——–
Like this video? Subscribe to Bloomberg Technology on YouTube:

 
Watch the latest full episodes of “Bloomberg Technology” with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow here:

 
Get the latest in tech from Silicon Valley and around the world here:

Connect with us on…
X:
Facebook:
Instagram:
 
Follow Ed Ludlow on X here:
Follow Caroline Hyde on X here:
 
Listen to the daily Bloomberg Technology podcast here:

 
More from Bloomberg Business
Connect with us on…
X:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

Continue Reading
Advertisement
3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. @normanoro206

    April 30, 2024 at 3:40 pm

    This is a very interesting interview with John Rogers. He probably didn’t want to get too into the weeds regarding how a potential merger/acquisition would be consummated, but things really do seem to hinge on how voting versus non-voting shares in Paramount are distributed. Based on what I’ve read, of the total ~650 million shares outstanding, only approximately 6% are voting shares; and about 75% of these voting shares are owned by National Amusements, which is controlled by Shari Redstone. One way to structure a deal is to just purchase control via the voting shares, which would potentially enrich Shari Redstone immensely but upset those holding the remaining ~94% of non-voting shares. However, based on an analysis I’ve read, buying all the outstanding shares has its own problems, namely those holding voting shares would probably get less than what their shares are worth. And of course, there are all the other deal structures in between, which would reward holders of voting vs non-voting shares in varying degrees. I’m no expert in M&A, but this just seems tricky to structure. Bob Bakish stepping down and being replaced by a troika probably doesn’t help matters much. As for each offer’s merits, John Rogers’s point about potential synergies with Sony is a good one. For example, depending on the implementation, a number of popular Paramount films and shows could probably also flourish as video games. I’m not as familiar with Skydance’s proposal for Paramount, but it must have at least some merit as well (aside from it potentially enriching certain shareholders) considering how seriously Shari Redstone is reportedly taking it.

  2. @duran9664

    April 30, 2024 at 8:52 pm

    ????????????Paramount+ is the worst streaming app in history ???????????? So buggy & the picture quality for global live sport is scandalous ????????

  3. @duran9664

    April 30, 2024 at 8:53 pm

    UEFA should sue Paramount+ for their terrible performance in covering the Champions League ????

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Science & Technology

Investors Are Asking AI About Your Startup

What does ChatGPT say about your startup? Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies. Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch.

Published

on

What does ChatGPT say about your startup?

Dr. Eike Gerhardt explains why founders should think about what LLMs will find when investors use AI to research their companies.

Watch the full episode of Build Mode with Eike and Nephrogen founder Demetri Maxim for more advice on building a stronger investor pitch.

Continue Reading

Science & Technology

A PhD in Pitching Breaks Down a Startup Battlefield Pitch l Build Mode

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of…

Published

on

There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message.

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Dr. Eike Gerhardt, who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of startup pitching before starting Autopoiesis Sciences. And he’s joined by Demetri Maxim, co-founder and CEO of Nephrogen, who came in second at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025.

Together, they break down Demetri’s actual Startup Battlefield pitch to unpack what worked, what could be improved, and what research tells us about how investors respond to founders. Eike explains why credibility signals matter, how technical founders can simplify without oversimplifying, and why Q&A should be treated as a second pitch. Demetri shares how he learned to explain complex biotech to generalist investors, how redesigning his deck changed his confidence onstage, and what he would do differently today.
They also explore how body language and authenticity affect a pitch, how investor questions can reveal bias, and how founders can use AI to prepare for difficult Q&A.

Here are the studies mentioned in the episode:
Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018). “We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.” Academy of Management Journal
Figge, P., Graf-Vlachy, L., König, A., Demann, F., & Diessner, M. (2025). “Shades of Grey or Black and White? How Entrepreneurs’ Use of Cognitively Complex Language Affects Investor Funding.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). “Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Figurative Language and Gesturing in Entrepreneurial Pitches Influences Investment Judgments.” Academy of Management Journal
Jiang, L., Yin, D., & Liu, D. (2019). “Can Joy Buy You Money? The Impact of the Strength, Duration, and Phases of an Entrepreneur’s Peak Displayed Joy on Funding Performance.” Academy of Management Journal.
Chen, X.-P., Yao, X., & Kotha, S. (2009). “Entrepreneur Passion and Preparedness in Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis of Venture Capitalists’ Funding Decisions.” Academy of Management Journal
Zhu, L. Y., Young, M. J., & Bauman, C. W. (2024). “Linking Anxiety to Passion: Emotion Regulation and Entrepreneurs’ Pitch Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Allison, T. H., Davis, B. C., Webb, J. W., & Short, J. C. (2017). “Persuasion in Crowdfunding: An Elaboration Likelihood Model of Crowdfunding Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Clark, C. (2008). “The Impact of Entrepreneurs’ Oral ‘Pitch’ Presentation Skills on Business Angels’ Initial Screening Investment Decisions.” Venture Capital

Subscribe to Build Mode:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Wherever you like to listen
New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday.

Continue Reading

Bloomberg Technology

Uber, Wayve Unleash Supervised Robotaxis in London

Uber now lets you book a robotaxi in London — but you’ll still be joined by a human in the front seat. Olivia Solon explains why. ——– Like this video? Subscribe to Bloomberg Technology on YouTube:   Watch the latest full episodes of “Bloomberg Technology” with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow here:   Get the…

Published

on

Uber now lets you book a robotaxi in London — but you’ll still be joined by a human in the front seat.

Olivia Solon explains why.
——–
Like this video? Subscribe to Bloomberg Technology on YouTube:

 
Watch the latest full episodes of “Bloomberg Technology” with Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow here:

 
Get the latest in tech from Silicon Valley and around the world here:

Connect with us on…
X:
Facebook:
Instagram:
 
Follow Ed Ludlow on X here:
Follow Caroline Hyde on X here:
 
Listen to the daily Bloomberg Technology podcast here:

 
More from Bloomberg Business
Connect with us on…
X:
Facebook:
Instagram:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

Continue Reading

Trending