Will Warner Bros. kill Skydance — or will David Ellison kill Warner Bros?
The Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount merger has officially closed, resulting in a new entity rebranded as Skydance. The article explores the risks of this consolidation and questions whether the new leadership can succeed where previous owners have struggled.
Why it matters
This merger represents a massive shift in the media landscape, consolidating two legendary Hollywood studios under a single, relatively unknown corporate brand.
Today, I’m talking with Peter Kafka, chief correspondent at Business Insider and host of the Channels podcast, about the gigantic Warner Bros.-Paramount merger and the future of the company now simply called Skydance. Skydance is owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery officially closed the day Peter and I spoke. There are some grand ambitions here, but the reality is that acquiring Warner never goes well for anyone. AOL failed, AT&T failed, and Discovery failed — although it did succeed in flipping these assets to Skydance. So I wanted to ask Peter if he thinks the Ellisons and Skydance have a real shot at succeeding where so many companies before them have hit the rocks. Okay: Peter Kafka on Warner Bros. and Skydance. Here we go. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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