David Ellison says WBD-Paramount deal would strengthen industry

David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, defended the company’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in an essay published by The New York Times Aug. 4, 2026, arguing the deal would strengthen Hollywood without giving the combined company excessive market power.

Ellison rejected the claims in lawsuits from a coalition of state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America seeking to block the transaction. He said the challenges rely on an outdated view of the entertainment industry that fails to account for competition from Netflix, Amazon, Apple and YouTube.

According to Ellison, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery would represent less than 20% of U.S. television viewing and about 18% of the domestic box office over the past year.

He also addressed concerns about his potential control of CNN, saying he does not intend to impose his political views on CNN, CBS News or their journalists. Ellison said both organizations should report independently, focus on facts and represent a range of perspectives.

His essay did not mention a string of accusations from current and former employees and journalism watchdog groups over claims of bias under Bari Weiss, a former opinion editor and book reviewer with no television news experience who was hand-picked by Ellison to serve as editor in chief of CBS News.

Many say the network has taken a pro-Trump view since Weiss took over, who has also been permitted to keep running an analysis and commentary site she founded and sold to Paramount as part of her deal to help run CBS News. 

Prior to Skydance’s takeover of Paramount, executives pledged to end corporate efforts focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as represent a broader spectrum of ideologies. The network also agreed to pay Donald Trump $16 million over a “news distortion” lawsuit that many saw as unfounded. Shortly after that deal was announced, the Trump-controlled FCC gave the final go-ahead for the Paramount-Skydance merger to go ahead. 

Meanwhile, Ellison also acknowledged declining public trust in journalism and said news organizations must rebuild credibility through consistent reporting rather than dismissing criticism.

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He did not, however, mention attempts Weiss has made to change reporting at CBS News and how those attempts, which were largely initiated quietly before being leaked outside the network.

Weiss and CBS have defended their actions as efforts to present balanced coverage despite much of the reporting in question having been cleared by multiple levels of journalistic and legal experts at the network. 

Ellison framed the merger as an effort to expand film and television production as Hollywood competes with large technology platforms. He pointed to Paramount’s increased production and content spending under his leadership, including plans for 15 theatrical releases and 90 television series in 2026.

A combined Paramount-Warner would commit to producing 30 movies and 170 television series annually while investing more than $30 billion a year in content, he argues.

Ellison said audiences, rather than executives, ultimately determine whether movies, television programs and news organizations succeed. He argued the combined company would have the resources to support more productions, employ more creators and compete more effectively for viewers.

Ellison’s piece also did not address the significant cost-savings that his companies stand to realize or how many jobs could be affected by combining operations or bringing in new technology to automate processes.