{"id":95356,"date":"2026-10-07T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/?p=95356"},"modified":"2026-10-06T21:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T03:47:15","slug":"paramount-closes-deal-for-warner-bros-discovery-creating-media-behemoth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opinionpublica.tv\/portada\/paramount-closes-deal-for-warner-bros-discovery-creating-media-behemoth\/","title":{"rendered":"Paramount closes deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, creating media behemoth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Paramount<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paramount closed its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, putting the tech scion David Ellison in control of a vast media empire that oversees many of Hollywood\u2019s most valuable properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deal immediately catapults the combined company, now called Skydance, to the front rank of competitors alongside streaming titans like Netflix and YouTube, just behind giants like Disney and Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday is a historic day, not just for Skydance but for our entire industry,\u201d Mr. Ellison said in a statement on Tuesday. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be more excited to get to work,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were signs that Mr. Ellison was moving at lightning speed to take control of his new empire. Warner Bros. employees who opened their laptops Tuesday morning saw them suddenly emblazoned with the new company\u2019s logo over a field of stars. A link to a \u201cglobal town hall\u201d meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m., popped up. And an 1,705-word memo titled \u201cDay 1\u201d from Mr. Ellison and his co-chief executive, Ynon Kreiz, landed in their inboxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to write this next chapter with you,\u201d they wrote. \u201cNow the real work begins. Let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new company is a hard-fought prize. Mr. Ellison wrested Warner Bros. Discovery from a rival bidder, Netflix, after a monthslong tug of war that prompted him to make nine offers for the company. Along the way, Mr. Ellison was criticized for courting President Trump while his deal was under review by the Department of Justice; in April, he held a dinner in Washington \u201chonoring the Trump White House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a news conference on Tuesday on the Paramount lot, Mr. Ellison pointed to other business leaders who have attended state dinners with Mr. Trump, including Tim Cook, the former Apple chief executive, and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Now that the deal is closed, Mr. Ellison said, Skydance will \u201cmove forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were in a transaction review process, but with that said, we are now turning that page,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A coalition of state attorneys general sued to block the deal on antitrust grounds, but settled after extracting a series of concessions, including the establishment of an editorial independence board to safeguard the integrity of CNN and a promise from Mr. Ellison to spend an additional $1.5 billion on movies over the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of Hollywood insiders said the deal would sharply consolidate corporate power, leading to job losses and further stagnation in Hollywood. Skydance has argued the merger is a necessary counterweight to Big Tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new company, which owns two major movie studios in Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, news networks including CNN and CBS News and the streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+, is making its debut in an industry navigating profound change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cable television, one of the biggest cash cows in media, is still profitable but in terminal decline. Streaming still hasn\u2019t replaced those profits. Trust in the news business is in the basement. And tech companies like Amazon and Apple are muscling in on movies, TV shows and sports rights, driving up content costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those challenges will pose a major test for Mr. Ellison, 43, who until last year had never run a public media company. He and his team must convince Wall Street that the new company can manage those challenges while it pays down $82 billion in debt, a staggering sum for a traditional media company. He must also rally tens of thousands of employees at Warner Bros. and Paramount; both companies have undergone nearly annual layoffs in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were some signs of early turbulence on the horizon. On Tuesday, the ratings agency Fitch said it was downgrading the combined company to reflect increased debt as well as \u201csignificant execution and integration risks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Mr. Ellison and Mr. Kreiz alluded to the prospect of looming layoffs in their memo. They must deliver $6 billion in cost-cutting over the next three years \u2014 a target they are likely to hit, in part by eliminating thousands of jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIntegrating two companies will bring change, including difficult decisions that affect our work force,\u201d they wrote. \u201cWe are committed to handling this process thoughtfully and respectfully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere at the company, corporate leaders sought to reassure employees amid the uncertainty caused by the deal. Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, reminded journalists on a call Tuesday morning that they had become accustomed to carrying out their duties despite \u201ca lot of things going on in the press.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing right now is going to change,\u201d Ms. Weiss said. \u201cThis is a process that\u2019s going to unfold under time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Ellison has assuaged some of those concerns by retaining Mark Thompson as chairman of CNN. In a memo to employees Monday, Mr. Thompson said that he had spoken to Mr. Ellison and came away convinced that executives at Skydance would support the \u201cindependent news that CNN has always stood for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Ellison further addressed the anxieties about CNN\u2019s independence on Tuesday during a town hall meeting, where he and Mr. Kreiz were interviewed by the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe in complete editorial independence,\u201d Mr. Ellison said. \u201cWe trust Mark, we trust the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re pledging not to interfere with news coverage of CNN?\u201d Mr. Cooper interjected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorrect,\u201d Mr. Ellison said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been very clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the interview, he also affirmed that he supported CNN\u2019s efforts to fight President Trump\u2019s White House press ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the news conference later, Mr. Ellison was asked how he would handle the tricky task of integrating CBS News, which is unionized, with CNN, which is not. Mr. Ellison said he was \u201cthrilled\u201d with Mr. Thompson and Ms. Weiss and said he would spend the next several months examining that issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another of Mr. Ellison\u2019s biggest challenges will be winning over Hollywood\u2019s creative class in an era of uncertain box office receipts, artificial intelligence and algorithmic personalization. He has pledged to invest in content, promising to release at least a combined 30 theatrical films annually. After two years, that number would rise to 32 films. He has also promised to overhaul the company\u2019s technological capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n