Every signal in this story, with the reporting each one was drafted from.
TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports that Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz told staff at their first town hall to expect “difficult decisions” as the company targets $6 billion in cost savings over three years following the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger close.
Oct 7The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that as the Paramount-Skydance deal closed and its stock began trading as SKYD, Wall Street linked the company’s fortunes to volatile AI investment markets, reviving interest in credit default swaps, even though Skydance has no direct data center exposure.
Oct 7The Ankler’s Richard Rushfield reports that Skydance’s dismissal of Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, officially blamed on overspending, actually reveals a broader shift against greenlighting original movies rather than branded, franchise-driven IP.
Oct 7Variety’s Michael Schneider reports that Casey Bloys signed a multiyear extension to stay on as co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance DTC, overseeing HBO Max and Paramount+ as the merged company sets its new structure.
Oct 6Deadline’s Dade Hayes reports that JB Perrette, WBD’s head of global streaming, is moving to Skydance as Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer of both Skydance TV and Skydance DTC once the $110 billion merger closes.
Oct 6The Ankler’s Elaine Low reports that George Cheeks now oversees Warner Bros. TV, CBS Studios and Paramount Television Studios as Skydance closes its Warner Bros. Discovery deal, while HBO’s Casey Bloys has signed a new deal to lead the combined direct-to-consumer division.
Oct 6The Ankler’s Claire Atkinson reports that as Skydance’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery closes Tuesday, analysts warn the combined company’s $80 billion debt load leaves no room for error against declining cable and a maturing streaming market.
Oct 6The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin reports David Ellison named the executives who will run Skydance when Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery deal closes Tuesday, with Ynon Kreiz as co-CEO and Casey Bloys over streaming, including Paramount+ and Pluto.
Oct 6TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman reports Skydance launches this week as a public company (SKYD), merging Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery under CEO David Ellison, who must cut $6 billion in costs while carrying $80 billion in debt.
Oct 6Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports that Channing Dungey is poised to add Paramount’s cable portfolio, including MTV, Nickelodeon and BET, to her existing WBD cable duties.
Oct 6TechCrunch’s Lauren Forristal reports that Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will operate under the Skydance name once their roughly $110 billion merger closes October 6, combining Paramount+, HBO Max, CBS, CNN, MTV, and other networks.
Oct 5Puck’s Matthew Belloni reports that Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy won’t survive Warner Bros.’ merger with Paramount, after running the film division through a big-swing era of artistic highs and a punishing 2026 box office, including the flop Digger.
Oct 5TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports Wall Street banks closed a roughly fifty-two billion dollar debt sale funding the one hundred ten billion dollar Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, selling investment-grade debt, junk bonds and loans in just a week despite investor paper losses.
Oct 5Variety’s Todd Spangler reports the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, renamed Skydance Corp., closes Oct. 6 after a judge approved a settlement with state attorneys general, ending a year-long pursuit by David Ellison.
Oct 4Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports that Skydance’s launch video kept both Paramount+ and HBO Max logos among its key brands, reinforcing hints from HBO Max’s Casey Bloys that the streamers will bundle rather than fully integrate.
Oct 4The Ankler reports that David Ellison is installing former Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz as surprise co-CEO of the new Paramount, overseeing day-to-day management and integration as the Warner Bros. deal closes.
Oct 3Media War & Peace’s Evan Shapiro reports that this week’s Media Odyssey podcast breaks down what the Paramount-AG settlement deal actually includes and why California AG Rob Bonta backed off.
Oct 3Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports Casey Bloys will likely lead the combined Paramount-WBD streaming operation once the merger closes October 6, after Paramount counterpart Cindy Holland exited this week.
Oct 3The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports Skydance’s new co-CEO Ynon Kreiz lands a $31.5 million restricted stock signing bonus and a 5-year contract while overseeing “cost savings” layoffs across the newly merged studio.
Oct 3Deadline’s Dade Hayes reports that Gerry Cardinale, architect of Paramount’s imminent $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, says most of the promised $6 billion in cost savings will come from unifying tech stacks and real estate, not job cuts.
Oct 3TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed off on Paramount’s settlement with 12 state attorneys general, clearing the last hurdle for its one hundred ten billion dollar merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Oct 3TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports that Paramount’s Makan Delrahim told TheGrill conference David Ellison’s threat to move the studio out of California absent a settlement was “not a bluff,” though he downplayed its role in the outcome, crediting a weak antitrust case instead.
Oct 1Variety’s Michael Schneider reports that HBO chief Casey Bloys has won control of Paramount-Warner Bros.’ merged streaming operation, after Paramount’s Cindy Holland told colleagues she’s leaving ahead of the deal’s close.
Oct 1The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin reports that Paramount’s direct-to-consumer chair Cindy Holland is leaving the company as its Warner Bros. Discovery deal nears, with CEO David Ellison said to be “optimizing for HBO stability” in the combined streaming business.
Oct 1Business Insider’s Peter Kafka reports that analyst Rich Greenfield says Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery must open their streamers to outside creators, mimicking YouTube and Netflix, since neither combined library has enough content diversity to train recommendation algorithms.
Sep 30