Less than a year ago, Skydance Media closed its $8 billion merger with Paramount, making the Trump-friendly Ellison family—billionaire Oracle founder Larry and his son David, CEO of Paramount Skydance—among the most powerful media moguls in the country. A looming Paramount Skydance merger with Warner Bros. Discovery would expand their empire even further.
Now that Netflix has backed out of its bid to acquire WBD, the Ellisons stand to gain an entirely new trove of significant intellectual property, from DC Comics to Harry Potter. As part of the deal, the Ellison Trust is committing to $45.7 billion in equity and a $7 billion termination fee if federal regulators don’t approve it, according to Reuters.
Paramount’s merger with Skydance has already brought about mass layoffs, including at CBS News, where Free Press founder Bari Weiss is leading a cultural overhaul as editor in chief. In January, Oracle became a partial owner of TikTok, giving the Ellisons even more cultural currency.
Here’s everything the family would control if the WBD deal goes through.
CBS and CBS News
Besides its news division, which includes 60 Minutes, CBS is also home to hits like Tracker and Matlock, along with reality stalwarts Survivor and Big Brother.
HBO and HBO Max
Among the most Emmy-winningest networks to exist, HBO’s library includes classics like Game of Thrones, The Wire, and Veep, as well as newer hits like The Pitt, The Gilded Age, and Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. (Outside of Canada, HBO Max is also a key distributor of the hockey smut drama Heated Rivalry.)
CNN
While CNN’s ratings dipped last year, it remains a news juggernaut and a top 5 cable network, featuring household names like John King, Kaitlan Collins, and Anderson Cooper (who recently announced he will be leaving 60 Minutes at the end of the current season).
DC Comics
The merger would put Paramount Skydance in control of storied comic book franchises like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Harry Potter
The wizarding world of Harry Potter, including all eight fantasy films and the upcoming HBO television series slated to premiere in 2027 would also be under the Ellisons’ purview.
TikTok
As of a deal finalized in January, Oracle now holds a 15 percent stake in TikTok’s US operations.
Star Trek
All 13 Star Trek movies and television shows are owned by Paramount Skydance. At a press event last year, Dana Goldberg, cochair of Paramount Pictures and chair of Paramount Television, said the franchise would be a “priority across the company.”
Warner Bros. Studios
Home to blockbusters like Barbie, The Dark Knight, and more recently, One Battle After Another and Sinners.
Comedy Central
South Park announced a five-year, $1.5 billion deal with Paramount last July, just prior to the merger with Skydance. The show has since skewered Donald Trump and those in his administration regularly.
Avatar Studios
In December, Paramount+ announced it would be the exclusive streamer of Avatar Studios content, including animated film The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and series Avatar: Seven Havens.
A Bunch of Cable Channels and Networks
The Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, TLC, OWN, Adult Swim, Showtime, TNT, and TBS are all part of WBD.
Other Key Franchises
Other notable titles that are or would be controlled by the Ellisons, pending the WBD takeover, include: The Lord of the Rings franchise, the Mission Impossible franchise, and the distribution rights to Dune: Part Three.