Everything Larry and David Ellison Will Control if Paramount Buys Warner Bros.
Less than a year ago, Skydance Media completed its $8 billion merger with Paramount, making the Trump-friendly Ellison family — billionaire Oracle founder Larry and his son David, CEO of Paramount Skydance — among the most powerful media moguls in the country. An imminent merger of Paramount Skydance with Warner Bros. Discovery would expand their empire even further.
Now that Netflix has dropped its bid to acquire WBD, the Ellisons are poised to acquire a whole new trove of important intellectual property, from DC Comics to Harry Potter. As part of the deal, Ellison Trust agrees to pay $45.7 billion in equity and pay a $7 billion termination fee if federal regulators do not approve it, according to Reuters.
Paramount’s merger with Skydance has already led to massive layoffs, including at CBS News, where Free Press founder Bari Weiss is leading a cultural overhaul as editor-in-chief. In January, Oracle became partial owner of TikTok, giving the Ellisons even more cultural currency.
Here’s everything the family would control if the WBD deal goes through.
CBS and CBS News
In addition to its information division, which includes 60 minutesCBS is also home to hits like Tracker And Matlockwith pillars of reality Survivor And Big brother.
HBO and HBO Max
Among the most Emmy-winning networks, HBO’s library includes classics like Game of Thrones, The threadAnd Veepas well as more recent hits like The Pitt, The golden ageAnd Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. (Outside Canada, HBO Max is also a key distributor of pornographic hockey dramas. Passionate rivalry.)
CNN
Even though CNN’s ratings fell last year, the network remains a news juggernaut and one of the top five cable networks, with well-known names like John King, Kaitlan Collins and Anderson Cooper (who recently announced he would be leaving the network). 60 minutes at the end of the current season).
DC Comics
The merger would give Paramount Skydance control of famous comic book franchises like Superman, BatmanAnd Wonder Woman.
Harry Potter
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including all eight fantasy films and the upcoming HBO television series scheduled to premiere in 2027, would also fall under the Ellisons’ purview.
TikTok
Since the deal was finalized in January, Oracle now owns a 15% stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Star Trek
All 13 Star Trek movies and TV shows are owned by Paramount Skydance. At a press conference last year, Dana Goldberg, co-chairman of Paramount Pictures and chairman of Paramount Television, said the franchise would be a “priority across the company.”
Warner Bros. Studios
Home to blockbusters like barbie, The Black Knightand more recently, One battle after another, And Sinners.
Comedy Central
South Park announced a five-year, $1.5 billion deal with Paramount last July, just before the Skydance merger. Since then, the show has regularly skewered Donald Trump and members of his administration.
Avatar Studios
In December, Paramount+ announced that it would be the exclusive streamer of Avatar Studios content, including animated films. The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and series Avatar: Seven Havens.
A bunch of channels and cable networks
The Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, TLC, OWN, Adult Swim, Showtime, TNT and TBS are all part of WBD.
Other key franchises
Other notable securities that are or are believed to be controlled by the Ellisons, pending the WBD takeover, include: Lord of the Rings franchise, the Mission Impossible franchise and distribution rights Dune: Part Three.
