(Reuters) -Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) has received preliminary bids for the media company from Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ), Comcast ( CMCSA ) and Netflix ( NFLX ), according to a source familiar with the matter.

The bids represent the first step in the possible sale of all or part of the century-old Hollywood studio, whose entertainment brands include HBO, CNN and the Warner Bros film studio.

Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Comcast ( CMCSA ) and Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ) declined to comment. Netflix ( NFLX ) could not be reached for comment. The New York Times first reported the development.

Paramount is expected to bid for all of Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ), including its cable television networks. The company's bid is backed by the studio's controlling shareholder, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is among the world's richest men.

Reuters exclusively reported that Warner Bros Discovery's ( WBD ) board rejected a mostly cash offer of nearly $24 a share for the company, according to a source familiar with the matter.  

Netflix ( NFLX ) and NBCUniversal's corporate parent, Comcast ( CMCSA ), are interested in Warner Bros' film and television studios and HBO, but not Warner Bros' basic cable networks, which include CNN, HGTV and TNT.

Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) previously announced plans to split the company into two publicly traded companies, separating its studios and streaming business from its fading cable networks.