Paramount chief executive David Ellison breaks silence on Warner Bros mega merger
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has defended the proposed $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery in an op-ed. He argues the deal is necessary to compete with major tech platforms and denies claims that it will harm market competition or news independence.
Why it matters
This merger represents a massive consolidation in the media industry, raising significant antitrust concerns regarding market power and the future of legacy news organizations.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Paramount Studios
Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison has broken his silence, defending his company's $110bn (£86bn) takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Opposition to the mega-merger relies on a vision of Hollywood that "no longer exists," he wrote in an op-ed published by The New York Times.
In his first public comments on the transaction, Ellison rejected claims that a combined media giant would exert excessive control over the market or erode newsroom independence.
The public intervention comes as Paramount and Warner Bros. continue an intense legal battle to close their massive deal, which was recently put on hold.
Addressing concerns over the future of Paramount's CBS and Warner's CNN, Ellison insisted the news outlets would remain non-partisan and stay positioned to "tell it straight down the middle."
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