Jeffrey Katzenberg Weighs In On Paramount Drama, Backs David Ellison

[ Another big Hollywood name is rooting for a Paramount-Skydance deal as Jeffrey Katzenberg says that outcome would be “a great win for Paramount and for people in the industry.” Speaking a the Axios BFD Talks: LA this evening, the DreamWorks co-founder and former Walt Disney Studios head acknowledged that the situation is complicated. “There’s … Read more

Skydance, Paramount Drama – Will David Ellison Walk?

[ The clock is ticking down to midnight, the end of a month-long exclusive negotiating window between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. The David Ellison company has been circling Paramount for months and lobbed several offers to buy out Shari Redstone‘s controlling stake, backed by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital. The … Read more

Paramount Global See Ad Boost From Super Bowl, Paramount+ Passes 71 Million Subs In Q1, ‘Mean Girls’ & ‘Bob Marley’ Buoy Studio

[ Paramount has just unleashed its first quarter financials with although all eyes are on a shakeup in  the C-suite. Revenue was higher across the board, albeit a hair shy of Wall Street expectations. Operating losses narrowed After a bleak Q4, advertising jumped 17%, buoyed by Super Bowl XVIII on CBS in February. The studio … Read more

Skydance Puts Revised Offer On The Table For Paramount

[ David Ellison’s Skydance has presented Paramount Global board’s special committee with a revised offer to take control of the company, Deadline has learned. Terms weren’t immediately available, story will be updated when they are. The new proposal is likely designed to make a deal more palatable to Paramount investors beyond controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, … Read more

Paramount’s Bob Bakish Could Be Bounced From CEO Role Amid Skydance Talks

[ Board members at Paramount Global are reportedly considering the removal of CEO Bob Bakish as discussions continue with Skydance Media about a complex, multi-step merger. If exclusive talks with Skydance bear fruit, there likely would not be a role for Bakish in the combined company, with Skydance chief David Ellison slated to serve as … Read more

Skydance In Pole Position For Paramount; Sony, Apollo In The Wings

[ Skydance and Paramount are deep into hashing out a complicated deal that would see the David Ellison’s studio and its backers take control of the storied film and television company owned by Shari Redstone. The exclusive month-long negotiating period through May 3 is likely to be extended perhaps by a few weeks, Deadline hears, … Read more

Skydance Sports Taps Executives Nancy Cotton And Sandino Moya-Smith

[ Skydance Sports, the media company’s JV with the NFL, has made some key appointments to its creative and production leadership across film and television, hiring Nancy Cotton and Sandino Moya-Smith as, respectively, EVP, Television, and SVP, Feature Film. Both were previously at Amazon MGM. Danette Trosclair was promoted to EVP, Production, moving from Skydance … Read more

Paramount Investors Sweat Details Of Skydance-National Amusements Talks

[ Paramount Global‘s beleaguered stock faltered Monday as investors fretted over the ongoing talks between controlling shareholder National Amusements Inc. and Skydance Media. As the moon blocked out the sun across a swath of the U.S. in a total eclipse, the stock behaved accordingly, falling almost 8% on heavier-than-average trading volume to finish at $11.06. … Read more

Skydance Media Made Offer For Control Of Paramount Global – Report – Deadline

[ David Ellison’s Skydance is said to have made a preliminary offer to buy Shari Redstone’s stake in National Amusements, the family holding company that controls Paramount Global, according to a Bloomberg report. Reps for Skydance, National Amusements and Paramount Global declined to comment. Deadline is hearing the the situation is “status quo” regarding Skydance’s … Read more

Mergers And Acquisitions 2024 Outlook For Media, Entertainment Industry – Deadline

[ A favorite and feverish game from Wall Street to Hollywood heading into 2024 is pairing up media companies, or pieces of them, to see what fits where in a high-stakes jigsaw puzzle that will shape the future of the industry. Ongoing streaming losses, anticipated interest rate cuts (that could lower financing costs), more robust … Read more