Paramount-Warner deal promises to shake up streaming

Over the last few years, the streaming wars hit a standstill.

Netflix and YouTube have sat comfortably in the lead, competing head-to-head for the biggest share of viewing time in living rooms around the world. Disney and Amazon Prime Video have stood next in line. And then a host of other streaming services — HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock and Apple TV among them — have jockeyed for position in a distant lower rung.

That could be changing now, with Paramount Skydance buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion.