PSKY CEO Claims Deal Really Comes Down To CNN

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison says antitrust lawsuits challenging his company’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery reflect an outdated vision of Hollywood and center on skepticism about his stewardship of CNN rather than genuine concerns over market share. 

In a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday, Ellison broke his previous silence on the legal challenges. He wrote that the suits filed by California’s attorney general, 11 other state attorneys general, and the Writers Guild of America are driven by a deeper worry: “whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner’s CNN.” 

Speculation about his politics, loyalties, and intentions, he argued, underlies the opposition more than competitive effects. “I believe this fight is not really about market share,” Ellison stated. He emphasized that he has voted for candidates of both parties, holds a mix of conservative and liberal views, and does not intend to bend newsrooms to his personal positions. 

David Ellison

“I believe that news should be based on facts and truth,” he wrote, adding that CNN and CBS News should “tell it straight down the middle” with independence from any party or cause. Ellison said he initially stayed quiet because executives overseeing news organizations should avoid influencing coverage of their own companies. 

“While I was silent, others were happy to write my story for me. No more,” he declared. He reiterated commitments to sustain film and television production and highlighted intense competition from tech platforms that has pressured traditional studios. The $111 billion Paramount-WBD deal, which would combine major film studios, streaming services, and news outlets including CBS and CNN, has already cleared the U.S. Justice Department and numerous international regulators. 

It remains delayed by the state attorneys general’s antitrust case, which alleges harms in theatrical and cable markets, along with a related Writers Guild action. A shareholder lawsuit has separately accused the Ellisons of improper political arrangements involving CNN, claims Paramount has denied. Many media analysts, industry power brokers, and Hollywood figures have weighed in on the agreement since it was reached, with opinions ranging from support for greater scale against tech giants to warnings about reduced competition, potential job cuts, and concentrated control of news. 

The deal is currently paused pending trial resolution, potentially into 2027.