The firm believed that has the best chance of purchasing Warner Bros. Discovery is Paramount

Analysts and experts think the tech giant’s connections in Washington and its access to large sums of money offer it an advantage in what might be the largest merger in the media industry in years. David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is the front-runner to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

The new media tycoon is interested in one of Hollywood’s most valuable properties, which is home to HBO, Warner Bros. Studio, and a streaming division with over 120 million users, following the Paramount-Skydance transaction in August.

Reuters was the first to disclose that Warner Bros. Discovery rejected its $60 billion offering on Tuesday. However, according to media sources, the corporation has posted a for sale sign and drawn interest from other possible suitors, such as Apple, Comcast, and Netflix.

The company would be worth about $74 billion at $30 per share, which is the price Bank of America analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich believes Warner Bros. Discovery could sell for. Analysts say this amount might put off some bidders, but it is still within Ellison’s reach because his father, Larry Ellison, is the second-richest person in the world with a net worth of about $330 billion.

Despite having $36.3 billion in cash at the end of June and the ability to raise debt to finance an acquisition, Apple has a history of avoiding major agreements; its $3 billion acquisition of Beats is still the largest.

Another distinct edge David Ellison has over his competitors is his father’s close ties to US President Donald Trump. One of the few well-known IT executives to publicly endorse Trump prior to last November’s election was Larry Ellison, a longtime Republican fundraiser.