Word cropped up about a potential team-up of Paramount+ and Peacock in February, but Paramount CEO Bob Bakish neglected to inform his superiors about the talks.

Consumers who follow the streaming world were surprised earlier this year by news that Paramount had engaged with NBCUniversal regarding a potential team-up of their streaming services Paramount+ and Peacock. Speculation became rampant about what a deal could look like, and what it would mean for the future of an industry that will almost certainly need to experience some consolidation to survive moving forward. But, a new report from The Wall Street Journal explains why those discussions never went any further, and how they could have contributed to the anticipated ouster of Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish.

Key Details: Several possible combinations of Paramount+ and Peacock were discussed by executives of both companies. Bakish did not keep Paramount’s board of directors or controlling...