The potential deal - which S4 says would be structured as an acquisition of MSQ by S4 Capital rather than a takeover of S4 - comes after a bruising period for the group. S4's share price has fallen more than 90% from its peak only a few years ago. The current market capitalization sits at around £140m, a fraction of the multibillion pound valuation it once enjoyed.
Antin is a European infrastructure investor with offices in Paris, London, and New York. The company focuses on investments in sectors such as digital infrastructure, energy, transportation, and social services. In the digital domain, Antin has previously invested in data center and connectivity companies in various European countries, including a regional data center platform in the United Kingdom. This has given the company experience in scaling up colocation and network services within regulated and competitive markets.
The 65-year-old executive has long been one of the media's highest-paid leaders, taking home a compensation package of $51.9 million in 2024 alone-even as the company weathered layoffs and strategy turmoil. And earlier this year, Zaslav signed a new contract packed with more stock options that could exceed $420 million in value, with the ultimate payout influenced by whether Netflix's $27.75-per-share cash-and-stock bid or Paramount's hostile $30-per-share cash offer wins out.
The long battle over control of Warner Bros. Discovery took another turn Monday when Paramount Skydance announced a hostile bid for the entertainment giant, following Warner's acceptance of a competing offer from Netflix last week. Paramount, which many once deemed the frontrunner in the original bidding war, announced a tender offer that tops the Netflix bid by $2.25 per share, appealing directly to shareholders. That adds another layer of complexity to the deal, which will see a significant consolidation of Hollywood's power players, no matter who ends up on top.
Sir Martin Sorrell is Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital plc, the tech led, new age / new era digital advertising and marketing services company for global, multinational, regional and local clients, and millennial-driven influencer brands. Sir Martin was Founder and CEO of WPP for 33 years, building it from a £1 million 'shell' company in 1985 into the world's largest advertising and marketing services company.
The publisher owns several major studios, including those responsible for hit games such as the Batman: Arkham series, Mortal Kombat, and Hogwarts Legacy. Things have been turbulent behind the scenes lately with big flops like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the cancellation of the long-in-development Wonder Woman game, and the closure of Monolith Productions. More recently, the focus has been put on games from four established IP: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and DC.
This week's headlines paint a clear picture: AI is becoming the backbone of business strategy. In today's MadTech Daily, we discuss global ad spend set to top USD$1tn in 2026, WPP being demoted from the FTSE 100, and the EU probing Meta's AI use in WhatsApp. Eventbrite is changing hands in a deal worth USD $500m (£378.8m). The acquisition by Bending Spoons underscores the challenges facing the ticketing platform, whose growth has slowed despite strong brand recognition.
