California's Fight To Stop Paramount Is All About CNN, According to David Ellison, CEO of Paramount
Paramount CEO David Ellison argues the antitrust lawsuit blocking the WBD merger is about CNN control, not market share, amid looming $7 billion penalty.
- On Tuesday, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison defended his $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery in a New York Times op-ed, arguing opposition stems from his personal politics rather than market share concerns.
- A legal challenge from 12 states currently stalls the merger, with attorneys general alleging the deal would "extinguish competition" in cable and theatrical markets, potentially leading to fewer consumer choices and higher prices.
- Addressing concerns about his stewardship of CNN, Ellison wrote he has "regularly voted for candidates of both parties," asserting his journalists will continue serving the public without bending to any political cause.
- Paramount recently agreed to delay the merger until next year, facing a potential $7 billion termination fee if the deal fails to close by June 4, 2027, while a federal judge weighs the antitrust arguments.
- Trial timing remains disputed: Paramount pushes for November 2026, while states argue for April 5, 2027, as Democratic Senators ask the Federal Communications Commission to scrutinize the deal's foreign investment structure.
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18 Articles
Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger: Ari Emanuel Proposes Editorial Board to Oversee CNN
WME Group executive chairman and TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel has proposed creating an editorial board to oversee CNN in order to quell concerns about the Ellison family’s ownership of the network in the pending $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The idea was floated during a CNBC interview on Tuesday, in which Emanuel argued that lawsuits from 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America to block the $110 billion …
Scrambling Paramount head goes into damage control amid CNN takeover fears and CBS woes
Faced with the stalled-out purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount CEO David Ellison attempted damage control on the pages of the New York Times on Tuesday morning.Ellison, who sought fit to hand control of CBS News to conservative gadfly Bari Weiss despite her lack of experience in running a straight news organization, claimed in his op-ed that he values “journalistic independence” and claimed he would not “put a finger on the scale” if h…
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