Lionsgate closes higher on Netflix acquisition rumor, streaming giant denies report
Shares for the film production company Lionsgate soared on Tuesday following rumors of a potential buyout.
According to a person familiar with the possible merger and acquisitions deal, streaming giant Netflix is one of the companies that may be interested in buying Lionsgate Studios, per reporting by Semafor. A Netflix spokesperson denied the rumor to Deadline.
Neither Lionsgate nor Netflix confirmed the news, but nevertheless the stock climbed, closing up 14%. The stock fell 4.6% in premarket trading after Netflix denied the rumor.
Netflix closed lower on news that Fox will acquire Roku in an approximately $22 billion deal after it was also rumored that the streaming company was interested in that acquisition. “Netflix did not make a bid for Roku,” a spokesperson told Semafor. This comes after Netflix withdrew its buyout bid for Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year.
Lionsgate’s shares are up 77% since January. Lionsgate owns massive franchises like “John Wick” and “The Hunger Games.” The film company has a market cap of approximately $4.7 billion, making it roughly 5x smaller than Roku and 13x smaller than Warner Bros.