Ellison Names Paramount-WBD Leadership Team Before $8 Billion Deal Closes Tuesday
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Oct 5
Ellison Names Paramount-WBD Leadership Team Before $8 Billion Deal Closes Tuesday
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Oct 5
Summary
Tuesday’s close will install David Ellison as chairman and CEO and Ynon Kreiz as co-CEO of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery, with Skydance unveiling the full senior leadership slate ahead of the merger.
Casey Bloys will oversee streaming across HBO Max, Paramount+ and Pluto, while Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg will run film studios that are committed to releasing 32 movies a year within two years.
Mark Thompson will stay atop CNN after reaching a new deal with Ellison, answering a key merger question, while Bari Weiss remains editor-in-chief of CBS News.
George Cheeks will lead linear TV and TV studios, JB Perrette will oversee the business side of TV and streaming, and James Gunn and Peter Safran will continue running DC Studios.
The combined company is being positioned as a creative-first entertainment giant that Skydance says will rival only Disney and Netflix in scale.
With $6 billion in cuts looming, which beloved franchises will survive the massive Skydance merger?
Will the unprecedented combination of HBO Max and Paramount+ create a streaming giant or an overpriced app?
The $110 Billion Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger: Power Shifts, Debt Risks, and the New Streaming Wars
Overview
In October 2026, Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery completed a $110+ billion merger, forming Skydance Corp. under David Ellison’s leadership. The company faced immediate pressure to deliver cost savings, leading to major restructuring and layoffs. Financing relied on massive debt and significant investments from Larry Ellison and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, sparking political and regulatory concerns. After intense legal battles, a settlement required safeguards for news independence, film output, and worker protections. To compete with tech giants, Skydance Corp. plans to merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming platform, aiming for scale but raising concerns about higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.