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NYCC 2026: Five Questions for DC Comics…

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With the purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance, there’s a whole lot of questions as to the future of not just the movie and television studios. For us, there’s just as many questions about the future of DC Comics. In the acquisition, Paramount Skydance (now just Skydance) gained DC Comics (and DC Studios) and potentially Milestone Media and Wonder Comics. While it has been revealed that DC Studios’ leadership would remain in place, there’s still a lot of questions we have for the comic book division of this mega entertainment company.

We’d likely never be put in a position with executives to ask the difficult questions, but that doesn’t mean we still don’t have them.

Here’s the five questions we’d ask if given a chance.

  1. Skydance now owns DC Comics, but what is its ownership of Milestone Media and Wonder Comics (DC’s imprint with Brian Michael Bendis)? While Wonder Comics is likely completely owned by DC based on its characters, we’ve asked and no one seems to have an answer about the deal between Milestone and DC.
  2. Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Skydances CEO David Ellison’s dad, is a major funder in this deal. Larry was part of a strategy call in November 2020 (also articles here and here) about contesting the election with Trump’s attorney Jay Sekulow, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and more. He also described as the “chief known funder” of Opportunity Matters Fund, a PAC that supports conservative causes. How can Superman be taken seriously in promoting “Truth, Justice, (and the American way)” when it is owned/funded in part by insurrectionists who funded causes diametrically opposed to the character’s supposed beliefs?
  3. Saud Arabia is another major donor. A similar question to the second but focused on Saudi Arabia’s abuses such as slavery, and murder of a journalist. It’s clear that the country is heavily investing in entertainment and attempting to white-wash its issues. Will DC participate in that?
  4. Larry Ellison, along with major funder RedBird, and Saudi Arabia (and rumors of Elon Musk) are heavily invested in AI to the point their wealth is banking on its success. They need to show a “successful proof of concept” in entertainment to sell their snake oil to others. DC at the last New York Comic Con said it would not use AI in the creation of comics. When it is mandated by money daddies, will DC opposed the mandate? Are executives and creators willing to step down and quit over it? Jim Lee at the previous New York Comic Con took a stand against it. How deep does this belief go? Also, how does DC continue it’s lawsuit against AI companies when it is owned by individuals who are heavily invested in it?
  5. With so much concern about the debt taken on by Skydance to fund this acquisition and questions in how it’ll be paid down, along with the volatile wealth of Larry Ellison and Saudi Arabia. How does an uncertain economic future impact long term planning for DC with the needed massive cuts, consolidation, and layoffs that will need to happen to pay down the debt?

These aren’t the only questions we have. There’s still a lot more as far as who will really be overseeing the publisher and what mandates will be made as far as content, licensing, and “synergy” with other divisions. There’s also the question of licenses that Paramount Skydance had with their properties being published by others (notably IDW Publishing). Finally, David Ellison seems to be pivoting that these “entertainment” companies are really “tech” companies now with a major emphasis on leveraging technology in future plans to increase revenue and decrease cost (queue flashbacks to AOL owning Time Warner and DC in that marriage from hell).

Stay tuned, 2027 may be a very dramatic year for the currently hot publisher and we may see a big opening to counter their growth happening soon.

Last Minute Hail Mary to stop the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery Merger is Denied by Justice Kagan

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Logos of various media companies including Paramount, HBO Max, Skydance, Warner Bros, DC, CNN, Nickelodeon, CBS, and Paramount+ against a starry background.

Yesterday, a last minute Hail Mary was thrown in an attempt to stop the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance. An emergency application was filed by consumers Monday to the Supreme Court in hopes of halting the deal. Five consumers who said they were Paramount subscribers, viewers, and cable customers, argued that the merger was anticompetitive.

The filing used the deal between a dozen state Attorneys General and Paramount to highlight the magnitude of the deal and that the settlement’s “safeguards” were not enough. The argument continued that the deal allowed singular control and ownership of competing studios, streaming products, and news organizations, eliminating their independence from each other. The settlement has widely been seen as a negative and falling short by the public but hailed by the politicians behind it and oligarchs who benefit from it.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan shot down the request.

The deal was finalized this morning and with it comes $80 billion+ in debt the new company has to figure out how to pay down. The likely solution will be massive cuts in jobs, heavy reliance on technology and AI, and the selling of underperforming assets.

Skydance reveals its Top Executive Structure as the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Begins to Close

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Image showcasing various entertainment company logos including Paramount, Warner Bros, DC, HBO Max, Skydance, CNN, Nickelodeon, CBS, and Paramount+ against a starry background.

The newly named Skydance, newly formed from the merged Skydance, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery, has revealed the executive structure that will be leading the company.

The announced changes are below:

Enterprise Leadership

David Ellison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ynon Kreiz, Co-Chief Executive Officer

CEO Corporate Leadership Team

  • Andy Gordon, President
  • Dennis Cinelli, Chief Financial Officer
  • Makan Delrahim, Chief Legal Officer and President, Global Corporate Affairs
  • Dane Glasgow, Chief Product Officer
  • Rebecca Mall, Chief Marketing Officer
  • Melissa Zukerman, Chief Communications Officer

CEO Business Leadership Team

  • Casey Bloys, Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer, Skydance DTC
  • George Cheeks, Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer, Skydance TV
  • Dana Goldberg, Co-Chair, Skydance Motion Picture Group
  • Josh Greenstein, Co-Chair, Skydance Motion Picture Group
  • James Gunn, Co-Chairman of DC Studios
  • JB Perrette, Co-Chair & Chief Business Officer, Skydance TV and Co-Chair & Chief Business Officer, Skydance DTC
  • Peter Safran, Co-Chairman of DC Studios

CEO News Executive Leadership Team

  • Mark Thompson, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN Worldwide
  • Bari Weiss, Editor-in-Chief of CBS News

The deal is expected to close and be official on Tuesday with a complete list of the executive leadership soon after it closes.

The new company will face massive debt and a shifting entertainment landscape that will force it to make deep cuts in both structural operations and staffing with the job loss to be in the 10s of thousands as well as unrealized jobs due to the consolidated media landscape. There’s also little chance that AI isn’t forced upon the mega media company as a large number of investors are heavily invested in the space and need “proof” it can succeed in entertainment.

System Fails Workers and Consumers Again as Judge gives the green light for Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery

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A young girl with long brown hair, wearing a red dress with white collar and black buttons, shouting excitedly in a playful setting.

The system has failed to protect consumers and workers once again, as the mega merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery has been approved by the court. In September a dozen Attorneys General announced a settlement with Paramount over the deal. The Attorneys General sued citing antitrust issues. After threats by Paramount’s David Ellison that he’d move the company out of California, the state’s politicians blinked in the game of chicken and quickly lost their spines.

The deal actually does little to protect consumers and will lead to tens of thousands of individuals being laid off as well as decreasing competition. It also consolidates the media further in the hands of rightwing oligarchs who are chummy with President Trump. The deal is riddled with loopholes and only lasts for five years, a time frame it’d take to really consolidate the two companies.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguin wrote:

The Court finds the proposed consent decree represents a reasonable factual and legal resolution of the dispute. The parties’ proposed consent decree falls within the scope of the case made by the pleadings.

The Court recognizes that this proposed consent decree reflects a compromise of the claims short of full adjudication – compromise that may leave some dissatisfaction for both sides and the public but a compromise that saves the risk, time, and expense of litigating through trial.

The approval of the settlement was delayed by last minute actions by numerous organizations. The parties involved in the settlement were ordered to respond to those last minute attempts to stop the deal.

Paramount CEO David Ellison said it would be about two weeks to formally combine the companies. A ticking fee that increases the price of the $111 billion deal by $7 million a day begins on October 1 and continues until the deal is closed.

Paramount is still desperate to fund the deal with many questions still remaining in how it’ll be paid for. The Ellison’s networth has been dropping as it’s tied to Oracle and AI and the Saudi government whose sovereign wealth fund is involved is hurting due to the current war between the US/Israel and Iran. Paramount has said it’d try to raise $44 billion of the cost through a debt sale to investors. Elon Musk has been rumored to be one of those.

California Governor Gavin Newsom pushed for a settlement as he still attempts to run for President in 2028. This should kill any chance he had of that, which was slim to start. His advocating for it again sides him with billionaire oligarchs and big business instead of the general American public. He again shows he’s a Republican wolf in Democratic sheep clothing. There’s a chance it kills Bonta’s future, though he’s likely hitching it to Newsom hoping to land a role in his never going to happen Presidency. The other AGs will be facing questions about their approval of the deal and how they can claim they’re pro-consumer or pro-worker protections.

There’s little chance the deal won’t result in the firing of tens of thousands of workers and Ellison will be forced to shut down underperforming divisions, channels, and sell of assets to deal with the massive debt raised by the deal plus the debt that already exists for the two companies.

Remember kids, if you’re an oligarch who throws enough of a fit, you’ll get your way…

Will Elon Musk become an investor in Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery?

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In our latest episode of Comic Shoot, we discuss that there doesn’t seem to be a plan to actually pay for Paramount‘s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. There’s been differing amounts as to what foreign investment will be, a lack of interest in other recent dealings from those involved, and generally a difficult time economically. This will involve a staggering amount of debt. Semafor has reported that Paramount and its owner David Ellison have considered asking Elon Musk to join the equity investors.

David Ellison’s father Larry Ellison has guaranteed $40 billion of equity financing in the deal who along with Redfin, Saudi Arabia‘s sovereign wealth fund, and a few other Middle Eastern countries are what’s known as far as investors but there’s a lot of questions that remain and the totals don’t make a whole lot of sense. The Ellison’s wealth has taken a drop and a plan by Larry Ellison’s plan to sell up to $7.5 billion in Oracle stock was canceled and its stock has dropped. Saudi Arabia has taken a hit in its wealth due to the recent war between the US/Israel and Iran. Larry Ellison has been close with Musk and invested in Musk’s plan to take over Twitter and also invested in Tesla in 2018. He also has served on that company’s board.

Musk has been critical of Hollywood and if given an inch he’d likely take a mile to impose what he thinks is entertainment. He has been railing against the billion dollar film, The Odyssey, calling it woke and offered his own AI version of the story which has been mocked by anyone with eyes and taste. There’s little doubt if Musk gets involved there will be an even greater push to adopt AI in film, television, and comic production as both Musk and Larry Ellison’s futures are heavily tied into the technology grift. Musk is also perceived as close to President Donald Trump and the Ellisons have been criticized for their own close relations and David’s CBS News being skewed to favor Trump. The inclusion of Musk in the deal will only add fuel to that fire causing an even greater backlash to the deal.

Comic Shoot Episode 3: Paramount’s Warner Bros. Takeover and the Mystery of the Finances

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Note: This episode was recorded before the events of Thursday’s court hearing which delayed the approval of the settlement between Paramount at AGs.

What does a war in Iran, the Saudi Government, Ari Emanuel, Jared Kushner, AI data centers, UFC and WWE, all have to do with the takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance? How will this $111 billion craziness be paid for? Will the deal be sunk due to the ailing finances of Saudi Arabia and Oracle? Is there anything WME doesn’t have its hands in?

Find out in this new episode of Comic Shoot! as we connect the dots and lift the current on the weaving connections. It’s not a conspiracy if it’s fact!

You can listen to our first discussion about the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition here.

You can read more about Paramount’s attempt to purchase Warner Bros. here.

Joining us is Nate Wilcox who founded the legendary MMA web site Bloody Elbow in 2007 and sold it in 2024. He was the first UFC reporter to focus on Ari Emanuel and the ownership team rather than Dana White and the public facade. He blogs as Nat Wilson Turner for Nakedcapitalism.com and IanWelsh.net on politics, propaganda, and media and tech business news. You can also find his current coverage of the MMA space at The MMA Draw.

Nate has been regularly following the money and its connection to politics that will determine our future!

Links:
Naked Capitalism
The MMA Draw

The Fight Continues to Stop the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

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Bold red text reading 'Not so fast!' with a comic-style explosion background.

Monday brought the news that a dozen attorneys general caved to Paramount in their attempt to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. The $111 billion deal was halted while an antitrust suit was brought by a dozen states with a trial originally set for March 2027. With opposition seemingly caved and giving up, the deal felt like a sure thing and would be closed by the September 30 deadline before a “ticking fee” began on October 1 adding costs to the mega-deal.

But, there’s still resistance.

Block the Merger, a group formed in opposition, was granted their motion to file amicus briefs regarding the deal and settlement. All amicus briefs will have to be filed on the docket no later than 12:01 am PST on September 25 and the deadline will not be extended and briefs submitted after not accepted.

A settlement hearing was set to be done today, and it was expected it would have rubberstamped the deal. But, with this latest decision by the Judge, things will be delayed a bit.

Paramount attempted to stop the approval of amicus briefs, stating a delay would “inflict massive harm” on Paramount without the filing of an antitrust action. It’s a similar action that had Paramount demanding a $1.88 billion bond from the dozen states and Writers Guild of America if their antitrust suit moved forward.

Paramount had threatened to leave California over the lawsuit by the attorneys general causing them, as well as other California elected officials, to swerve in the political game of chicken. Governor Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (who is seeking reelection), California gubernatorial front-runner Xavier Becerra, and some unions urged California AG Bonta to settle fearing job losses from the move. In reality, the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will result in job losses in the 10s of thousands anyways.

But not all Democrats caved. Senator Cory Booker sent a letter to Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin urging:

…the Court to subject the proposed consent decree to an independent public-interest review before entering it. The Court should measure the proposed remedies against the relief the States originally sought: an injunction blocking the merger altogether. The decree does not address the core of the case—that the merger is anticompetitive and will eliminate jobs.

Booker is asking for the deal between Paramount and the states to be subject to an “independent public-interest review.”

Judge Martinez-Olguin seems to be doing some due diligence asking attorneys to address by September 29 the concerns raised by Sen. Booker.

The judge challenged the AG officials in a hearing today if the settlement actually addresses the concerns they raised and the Clayton Act which is about antitrust concerns.

The judge also asked if the deal was “not the result of collusion and was more of an arm’s length process.”

California Senior Assistant AG Paula Blizzard in the meeting argued for the settlement but said that they were still prepared to go to trail starting March 2, 2027 as well as acknowledging the negative response to the settlement. Blizzard also noted that New Jersey, the state Booker represents, was part of the AGs initially suing and is part of the settlement. Blizzard pushed hard for the settlement thinking the five year time frame of it will somehow protect consumers and industry workers and “preserve competition.” Paramount’s attorneys highlighted the penalties that will keep them honest.

No matter, this isn’t a done deal after all and with a September 29 response date, Paramount gets closer to its “ticking fee” kicking in and the deal getting more expensive each day it drags on.

Writers Guild of America admit Attorneys General Left Them Out to Dry in Paramount Appeasement

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An illustration of two arms engaged in a strong arm wrestling match, with the phrases 'Screwing Everyone,' 'Paramount,' 'Skydance,' and 'Democrat Attorneys General' labeled on the arms.

Today, a dozen attorneys general settled with Paramount regarding the company’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The attorneys general received little in return but did try to make it look like they actually got something in return. In July, twelves states and the Writers Guild of America filed antitrust lawsuits in an attempt to stop the merger. The AGs have caved, along with numerous spineless unions, and now the WGA has spoken out in a rather damning statement. We put in bold the big “fuck you” to the AGs involved.

We continue to believe the merger will cause damage to writers and the industry at large. Now that the Attorneys General have settled with Paramount, however, as a nonprofit, the WGA must contend with the reality of forging ahead alone, with no backing from government enforcers, with a complex antitrust lawsuit that would cost millions of dollars to pursue through trial. Consequently, we have also settled our lawsuit with an agreement from Paramount to prohibit writer layoffs at CBS News Broadcast for 5 years, and to pay $17.5 million to our health fund along with our attorneys’ fees in the litigation.

Though we were not successful in blocking the merger, our advocacy brought more attention to the harms that this merger—and others like it—will cause. We will continue to fight the harms of industry consolidation.

As the number of outlets to sell our work to and the corresponding diversity of programming shrinks, we need industry-wide structural separation between streamers and studios in order to promote competition in programming, like the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules once required in broadcast television. We will continue to fight for these goals.

The merger is expected to cost 10s of thousands of jobs as well as negatively impact economies. Congrats attorneys general and Democrats for throwing the WGA under the bus! That’s how you continue to build support!

Details of the Paramount/Attorneys General Settlement Revealed

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California AG Bonta waving the white flag

California Attorney General Bonta and eleven other Democratic Attorneys General are celebrating their waving the white flag in their caving and settling with Paramount regarding its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

They’re actually celebrating a WHOLE FIVE YEAR court enforceable commitment of $1.5 billion to bolster film production and a $47.5 million fund for workers impacted by the merger as well as restrictions on how the company handles cable negotiations to help keep prices competitive.. That’s a whopping $300 million a year! Paramount has said it will save $6 BILLION a year in staffing reductions alone… that’ $47.5 million is all of 0.79% of their savings… The deal to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery is $111 billion. This commitment is a whole 1.3% of that and that’s over 5 years. It’s a sliver of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount’s profits.

It wasn’t just a dozen attorneys general that showed their inability to play hardball. They were joined by IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb, Directors Guild of America National Executive Director Russell Hollander, iUNA! Local 724 Business Manager Alex Aguilar Jr., International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President President Sean M. O’Brien, and Sean Astin, President of SAG-AFTRA and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of SAG-AFTRA.

The deal also includes:

  • 30 films a year — including 20 wide releases — in the first two years.
  • 32 films a year — with 21 wide releases — in years three, four, and five.
  • Paramount commits to release at least four independent films in each year of the commitment period.

To put this in perspective.

In 2024, Warner Bros. released 12 films in the top 200 and Paramount release 9 films for a total of 21. In 2025, Warner Bros. released 11 films in the top 200 domestic gross and Paramount released 12 for a total of 23. 2026 has 10 films by Paramount so far and 9 from Warner Bros. with another 11 still to come, currently, before the end of the year. That’s a total of 30 in 2026, so the commitment of 20 wide release films is a DECREASE from 2026 with 30 the same. There’s already 18 Warner Bros. and 12 Paramount films announced for 2027, that’s a total of 30, so their commitment is already met. 2028 already has 10 announced Warner Bros. films and 9 from Paramount, 19 of the 21 wide releases. Those numbers don’t include Warner Bros. or Paramount’s direct to video or streaming releases. The bump touted in perspective isn’t that much and has no protections after five years. To say this is a whole lot of nothing to make it seem like something is an understatement and shows how little those negotiating either understood the assignment or cared.

If Paramount fails to meet this film output requirement in any year, the company will be required to divest Miramax Studios and must pay $30 million per missed film toward the healthcare and retirement trust funds associated with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and other unions, and to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) for more antitrust enforcement.

Domestic Production: The $1.5 billion investment over five years also has a kicker if the company gets a U.S. federal film tax credit of at least 20%, the U.S. production would need to be increased to 20% for years one and two and 30% for the next three years from the current 5%. If a film tax credit is passed in California or New York, production investment would need to be increased to 40% of all film production being in the U.S.

California Attorney General Bonta has committed to kissing Paramount’s ass further to uncap California’s Film and Television Tax Credit.

Independent Film Fund: The company will form a fund with annual contributions of $5 million per year, for a total of $25 million. We have no doubt that money will then be siphoned into projects Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery are involved in. It’ll be a net gain of zero.

Protection for Workers: The merged company will commit to $47.5 million in a Workforce Fund over five years for training and career development for workers fired by the merger. Paramount has stated they will have a savings of $6 billion through staff reductions alone. Workers are fucked in this one.

Cable Agreements: For five years, the negotiations for Paramount’s basic cable channels and Warner Bros. basic cable channels must be conducted independently. After five years, expect your cable rates to skyrocket or channels getting pulled. Consumers are fucked in this one.

Ongoing Monitoring: The company also agreed to appointment of an independent monitor to oversee its compliance with this agreement. We’re sure Trump and the Ellison’s friends will be taking part (or other ass-kissing individuals).

It has been reported that the board to oversee monitoring would be established within 180 days of closing, feature five individuals (established journalists active or retired with 10 years experience) and those individuals will be appointed by the company’s board of directors and feature “no more than two” “affiliated” with the same political party. If you can’t see the loopholes there and how toothless that’ll be, we don’t know what to tell you. The panel will resolves disputes over “alleged reporting bias or failure to meet agreed reporting fairness standards” as well as monitor editorial independence including from the ownership and shareholders. CNN’s already dwindling stature is getting double tapped with the buyout and then this.

This terrible deal has been blessed by lead Attorney General Bonta and the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.

The protection for consumers and workers and minimal and this was all about caving to Paramount’s threats in an election year.

Word came out over the weekend that while Bonta wanted to settled, the AGs of New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Nevada were hold outs but eventually came around late Sunday. Bonta “assured them” he’d hold Paramount’s “feet to the fire” that the company stuck to its commitments. those commitments that have been leaked are all job related and have nothing to protect the company from lurching CNN right and playing propaganda for the Trump administration like it has for CBS. David Ellison’s father Larry Ellison is part of a group that has invested in TikTok, a major source of news for younger individuals. Larry Ellison is a friend of Donald Trump, even having been in meetings regarding the January insurrection by Trump. As part of the deal to purchase Paramount, the Ellison’s Skydance pledged to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and establish a CBS News ombudsman position to review bias complaints. Paramount has come under scrutiny for its takeover of CBS News removing its editorial independence for a more right-wing bent calling into question is history of quality journalism. Paramount owner David Ellison appointed Bari Weiss as the head of the news service as well as a conservative to act as its ombudsman, an “internal advocate for journalistic integrity and transparency.” That move by Ellison has tanked ratings for CBS News and 60 Minutes so there’s a chance that he may think about doing the same for CNN.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been pushing for a settlement as he still attempts to run for President in 2028. This should kill any chance he had of that, which was slim to start. His advocating for it again sides him with billionaire oligarchs and big business instead of the general American public. He again shows he’s a Republican wolf in Democratic sheep clothing. There’s a chance it kills Bonta’s future, though he’s likely hitching it to Newsom hoping to land a role in his never going to happen Presidency. The other AGs will be facing questions about their approval of the deal and how they can claim they’re pro-consumer or pro-worker protections.

Paramount needed the deal to be completed as soon as possible as the cost of it would begin to increase by $7 million a day if not closed by September 30. With the projected lawsuit from the AGs starting in March 2027, it’d have added about $1.3 billion to Paramount’s cost.

Paramount also was facing the changing tide in American politics. While the Presidency, House, and Senate are currently favorable to them, it’s likely the Democrats will take the House and Senate in November. While it’s unlikely they’d find a spine to stop the deal, the chance greatly increases if they were to.

The Warner Bros. Discovery deal also puts Paramount into massive debt with 49.5% equity take by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, each of them facing issues due to the current war in Iran. Add in the volatile wealth of David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle who is also funding the deal. Paramount will likely at some point have to sell assets to pay down debt.

Remember, vote Blue No Matter to gain further appeasement and lack of accountability for oligarchs!

AGs Cave to Paramount Putting the Final Nail in Antitrust Protection

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Hope that a dozen Democratic Attorneys General had spines were dashed this Monday as word has spread they have caved and settled with Paramount in the company’s move to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. While full details have yet to be released, the initial details shows the settlement and focus was only on jobs, not protecting consumers or the media.

A lawsuit was launched by a dozen states to try to stop, or get consolidations, in Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion. The deal would consolidate the media further giving Paramount control over CNN along with Warner Bros.’ massive television and movie catalogue, HBO, HBO Max, DC Comics, and more. The states were joined by the Writers Guild of America.

Paramount played California and its Attorney General Rob Bonta perfectly, threatening to leave the state, threatening to cost it jobs and money, in an election year. The merger itself will cost the state money as well as jobs. It’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation. Paramount also was demanding a $1.88 billion bond from the states and WGA to cover possible damages if the case went to trial which was set for March 2027.

Word came out over the weekend that while Bonta wanted to settled, the AGs of New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Nevada were hold outs but eventually came around late Sunday. Bonta “assured them” he’d hold Paramount’s “feet to the fire” that the company stuck to its commitments. those commitments that have been leaked are all job related and have nothing to protect the company from lurching CNN right and playing propaganda for the Trump administration like it has for CBS. David Ellison’s father Larry Ellison is part of a group that has invested in TikTok, a major source of news for younger individuals. Larry Ellison is a friend of Donald Trump, even having been in meetings regarding the January insurrection by Trump. As part of the deal to purchase Paramount, the Ellison’s Skydance pledged to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and establish a CBS News ombudsman position to review bias complaints. Paramount has come under scrutiny for its takeover of CBS News removing its editorial independence for a more right-wing bent calling into question is history of quality journalism. Paramount owner David Ellison appointed Bari Weiss as the head of the news service as well as a conservative to act as its ombudsman, an “internal advocate for journalistic integrity and transparency.” That move by Ellison has tanked ratings for CBS News and 60 Minutes so there’s a chance that he may think about doing the same for CNN.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been pushing for a settlement as he still attempts to run for President in 2028. This should kill any chance he had of that, which was slim to start. His advocating for it again sides him with billionaire oligarchs and big business instead of the general American public. He again shows he’s a Republican wolf in Democratic sheep clothing. There’s a chance it kills Bonta’s future and the other AGs will be facing questions about their approval.

Paramount needed the deal to be completed as soon as possible as the cost of it would begin to increase by $7 million a day if not closed by September 30. With the projected lawsuit from the AGs starting in March 2027, it’d have added about $1.3 billion to Paramount’s cost.

Paramount also was facing the changing tide in American politics. While the Presidency, House, and Senate are currently favorable to them, it’s likely the Democrats will take the House and Senate in November. While it’s unlikely they’d find a spine to stop the deal, the chance greatly increases if they were to.

The deal, which will reportedly be revealed this Monday, involves an investment of $1.5 billion for home-grown film production and protecting and creating jobs, requirements for additional production if the federal government approves tax incentives, and a $47.5 million workforce development fund and to honor existing collective bargaining agreements. Paramount grossed $28.75 billion in 2025 and Warner Bros Discovery annual gross profit for 2025 was $16.411 billion. The amount of money mentioned is nothing for the mega company and likely would include money already going to be spent in domestic production anyways.

Paramount has stated they project $6 billion in cost savings when pitching investors, which is expected to be through significant layoffs.

The deal also puts Paramount into massive debt with 49.5% equity take by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, each of them facing issues due to the current war in Iran. Add in the volatile wealth of David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle who is also funding the deal. Paramount will likely at some point have to sell assets to pay down debt.

We’ll have more details when they’re officially released.

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