Warner Bros Paramount merger 2026
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Hollywood optimism grows amid push for film tax credits and Paramount staying put
California is introducing a new post-production tax credit.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted state efforts to bolster the entertainment industry on Wednesday.
Schiff led the first impeachment effort against Trump.
“We’re not just protecting that legacy; we’re investing in its future by expanding our film and television tax credit, launching a new post-production credit and standing up for performers in the age of AI.”
Skydance to restructure Paramount and Warner Bros lots
Skydance CEO David Ellison said the company would organize film on one lot and television/streaming on another.
CBS Entertainment, CBS Studios and CBS Media Ventures left CBS Studios Center (Radford) when it was sold in 2022 to relocate to Sunset Gower offices in Hollywood.
Ellison said one of the primary sources for the targeted $6B in synergies will come from real estate optimization along with technology and procurement.
Paramount Games Studio and WB Games merge under Skydance after $111bn acquisition
Tony Driscoll will oversee the merged games and experiences unit.
Josh Silverman was appointed president of global products and publishing as part of the merger.
Paramount completed its $111 billion acquisition of WBD.
Skydance announces leadership team; David Berson takes over global sports group
Luis Silberwasser is departing the soon-to-be merged Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger is expected to close on October 6.
The combined company will be named Skydance.
David Ellison brings in Ynon Kreiz as co-CEO
When Kreiz took the helm at Mattel in 2018, he was the fourth CEO in four years at the company.
Ellison and Kreiz will face around $79 billion in debt once the transaction is complete.
The new entity will unite the film studios of Paramount and Warner Bros., the CBS broadcast network, pay-TV networks including CNN, TNT, MTV and BET, and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max.
Skydance–Paramount–Warner Bros. merger prospects examined
Cindy Holland announced on September 29 that she was stepping down from her role running Paramount+.
The Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger is valued at $111 billion.
Paramount film heads Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are in line to oversee both movie studios.
“By combining them, we aren’t rewriting history — we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling.”
Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy depart Warner Bros. amid Skydance takeover
Sinners delivered $370 million in ticket sales.
Abdy and De Luca learned that Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg would be taking control of both film divisions shortly before a Puck report broke the news late Thursday night.
DC Studios will continue to be led by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
“We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.”
James Gunn and Peter Safran to stay at DC Studios after Paramount-Warner Bros merger
Lanterns premiered August 16.
Safran produced Gunn's 2021 The Suicide Squad movie and its HBO Max spinoff series Peacemaker starring John Cena.
Gunn's Superman grossed more than $618 million at the global box office.
Opinion: Skydance name weaker than Paramount or Warner Bros
Ellison stated that the 103-year-old Warner Bros. brand and the 114-year-old Paramount brand will remain.
The Warner Bros. studio has 12,500 feature films and 2,400 TV programs.
The company's stock ticker symbol will change from PSKY to SKYD on Tuesday.
David Ellison says combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance
The combined entity formed by the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance.
The Paramount and Warner Bros. studios are set to release 35 films next year.
David Ellison is the CEO of Paramount Skydance.
Paramount in early discussions to retain CNN chief Mark Thompson
Paramount Skydance and CNN chief Mark Thompson are in the early stages of discussions that could keep him as leader of CNN.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported on the talks between Paramount and the executive.
Mark Thompson said he has no knowledge of how Paramount Skydance wanted to proceed once it completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Block the Merger Coalition asks court to reject Paramount's settlement with states over Warner Bros. deal
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) filed an amicus brief against the settlement.
The coalition said the terms of the consent decree were announced on Monday morning.
Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín is presiding over the case.
Paramount/WBD merger conditions criticized in court hearing
A coalition of free speech and media advocacy groups told a judge in a filing that the settlement deal will give residents of the suing states “virtually nothing.”
The filing was submitted by the Committee for the First Amendment, Free Press, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Future Film Coalition, and International Documentary Association.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a settlement with Paramount regarding the merger.
Paramount-WBD merger delayed by judge ruling
The settlement defines a tentpole film as one with a budget of at least $50 million and mandates at least 20% of annual releases be tentpole films.
The settlement requires at least 20 wide releases in more than 2,000 theaters in each of the first two years after closing, increasing to at least 21 films in the following three years.
Cinema United, the lobbying group representing theater owners, gave its seal of approval to the agreement this week.
“You could say you are going to release 30 movies, or even 100 movies, but those movies still have to connect with audiences. If you had half as many films and every one of them became a major hit, which scenario would you rather have? So ultimately, it is not simply about how many movies are released. It is about having enough movies, released at the right cadence, that audiences actually want to see.”
Block The Merger Coalition asks judge to delay Paramount-WB settlement
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin set a hearing on the consent decree for Thursday morning.
Paramount argued that the groups in the Block the Merger Coalition lack standing.
The Block the Merger Coalition proposed a briefing schedule through October 13.
Paramount to raise $7.5 billion in debt to fund Warner Bros. deal
The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is expected to close in about two weeks pending the judge's approval.
Paramount has lined up $24 billion in commitments from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Morgan Stanley analysts estimated the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. would have net debt of $77.2 billion on a pro-forma basis at the end of 2026.
Warner Bros turmoil amid Paramount merger
A Barbie sequel has not been greenlit due to ongoing talks with director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
A Zoom call was held on Wednesday with 500 senior Warner Bros staffers to discuss Paramount's settlement of an antitrust lawsuit brought by state attorneys general related to its merger with WBD.
Warner Bros won 11 Oscars during 2025.