Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 16
David Ellison Threatens Paramount California Exit Over $7 Million Daily Merger Fee
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 16

David Ellison Threatens Paramount California Exit Over $7 Million Daily Merger Fee

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 16

Summary

  • Noah Wyle said he hopes David Ellison is "saber rattling" about moving Paramount out of California, warning that taking Hollywood out of Hollywood would alienate the industry.
  • Ellison is prepared to begin relocating Paramount as soon as October unless the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is resolved through a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
  • The pressure point is a $7 million daily ticking fee tied to the stalled deal, while 12 states have filed an antitrust case seeking to block the merger.
  • Georgia, Texas and Tennessee are under consideration if Paramount leaves, a move that would hit a state Wyle says benefited from 600 jobs and $125 million from "The Pitt" alone.

Insights

With a $7 million daily fee looming, is Paramount's relocation threat a desperate bluff or the end of Hollywood?
Why are state regulators blocking a mega-merger that 70 global jurisdictions have already approved?