Gerry Cardinale discusses Paramount’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery; the NFL has reportedly sent RFPs around for its 2026 Melbourne Game; and the WNBPA authorizes its executive committee to call a strike “when necessary.” Plus news on IndyCar, Johnson Wagner, Westwood One Sports and Tim Saunders.
Cardinale discusses Paramount hostile bid, WBD concerns
In an podcast interview with Matthew Belloni of Puck, RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale accused Warner Bros. Discovery of putting up “hurdles” to prevent Paramount’s Redbird-backed hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, saying that the company has “no intention of actually getting” to a deal. Cardinale was particularly critical of WBD’s suggestion that the Paramount bid had insufficiently-firm financial backing, saying that the implication is “disrespectful to me, it’s disrespectful to the Ellisons.”
Cardinale: “Who do these people think they’re talking about here? I spent 35 years doing everything the right way, and the Ellisons are no different, I mean, and he’s one of the greatest entrepreneurs and business builders in history. When he says he’s going to do something, he does it.”
WBD in its Monday statement said it had concerns about Paramount’s financing, specifically pointing to a $40.65 billion equity commitment that it says is not fully backstopped by the Ellison family, but rather a revocable trust that the company feels could risk its shareholders. Paramount responded that the Ellisons are indeed backstopping the equity with RedBird Capital and that it has $54 billion in debt commitments from Apollo, Bank of America and Citi.
“Thirty dollars in cash for 100% of the company with our regulatory profile is superior to Netflix, okay?,” Cardinale said. “Now, over to them. Respond to that offer. That’s what this is about. Respond to that offer. Tell us. We’ve shown a track record of going through five bids where they responded, and somehow on the sixth, where we actually hit what they asked us to hit, both in price and structure and everything else, they decided not to hit, not to respond to it. Why? You owe your shareholders a response. I’m waiting for that.”
NFL reportedly sends RFPs for Melbourne Game
The NFL has sent requests for proposals to media companies and streaming providers for the league’s 2026 game in Melbourne, Australia, according to a report by John Ourand of Puck. The game — which per Ourand is set for Week 1 — will take place from Melbourne Cricket Ground, marking the first time the country has hosted an NFL regular-season game. While the exact matchup has not been determined, the Los Angeles Rams will be one of the participating teams.
Sources told Ourand the NFL hopes to have a deal for the game done by the Super Bowl. Given the time difference between the United States and Australia, Ourand assumes that the league will pursue a streaming partner “that has global reach.” Netflix presents the NFL Christmas Day games globally, and Amazon’s Prime Video acquired global distribution rights for its NFL Black Friday Game this past season.
It is unclear when the Melbourne game would air during Week 1. The Brazil games the past two seasons aired in primetime on the Friday of Week 1, but that window was only available due to the calendar quirk of an early Labor Day — meaning that the start of the NFL season took place outside of the restrictions set forth in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (which prohibits the NFL from airing Friday night and Saturday games from the second week in September through the third week of December to protect high school and college football games).
The NFL held a record seven international games throughout the 2025 regular season, but the league is expected to increase that total and potentially sell a full media rights package consisting of those games. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview on NFL Network that he thinks the league will return to markets it has been in this year while thinking about “a couple more.”
WNBPA authorizes executive committee to call strike “when necessary”
Members of the WNBPA have voted to authorize the union’s executive committee to call a strike “when necessary” amid collective bargaining negotiations with the WNBA. The WNBPA said that 93% of the players participated in the vote, and 98% voted ‘Yes’ in allowing for a potential strike. The WNBPA executive committee consists of Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Naphessa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Alysha Clark, Elizabeth Williams and Brianna Turner.
“The players’ vote is neither a call for an immediate strike nor an intention to pursue one,” the WNBPA said in a statement. “Rather, it is an emphatic affirmation of the players’ confidence in their leadership and their unwavering solidarity against ongoing efforts to divide, conquer, and undervalue them.”
The union and league are currently operating under a 40-day extension of the current CBA that is slated to expire on Friday, Jan. 9. Throughout its nearly three-decade history, the WNBA has never had a complete work stoppage, nor the full cancelation of a season.
“While we acknowledge the players’ right to authorize a future work stoppage, we strongly disagree with the WNBPA’s characterization of the current state of negotiations, which fundamentally misrepresents the ongoing discussions taking place at the bargaining table,” the WNBA said in a statement.
Plus: IndyCar, Johnson Wagner, Westwood One Sports, Tim Saunders
- The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series will again feature all 17 races on the FOX broadcast network, opening with three straight weekends featuring races in March. Fox, which acquired a one-third stake in IndyCar owner Penske Entertainment in July, is entering the second year of its exclusive IndyCar contract. All but one window is slated to begin before 6 PM ET.
- Johnson Wagner is joining CBS Sports where he will serve as an on-course reporter for PGA TOUR events, it was revealed Friday. Wagner, a former three-time PGA Tour winner who had worked for Golf Channel for the last two years, will also contribute previews, recaps and other content on digital platforms.
- Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla will be hosting the 12 to 3 PM ET show on the new Westwood One Sports station set to debut on Monday, Dec. 29, arriving after a stint with ESPN Chicago. The sports radio duo joins a lineup featuring Jim Rome, Nick Kostos and Drake C. Toll operating under a partnership between Westwood One and Audacy.
- The Philadelphia Flyers and 97.5 The Fanatic have suspended radio play-by-play announcer Tim Saunders for two games after he made an inappropriate comment caught on a hot microphone during Thursday night’s game, according to a report from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. Saunders thought the broadcast was on break and made a coarse remark before his partner informed him they were still live.
