Last month, entertainment giant Skydance Media completed an $8 billion acquisition of one of Hollywood’s most prestigious studios, Paramount. Skydance, owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, now reportedly has its eyes on another historic film studio: Warner Bros.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Paramount Skydance is currently preparing a majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. If it goes through, one of Donald Trump’s most powerful supporters (and as of this week, a tech billionaire poised to unseat Elon Musk as the world’s richest person) would own a huge chunk of America’s entertainment industry.
Not much has been released about the reported deal yet. The magazine says the offer would be for “the entire company, including its cable networks and film studio.” Gizmodo reached out to Paramount and Warner Bros. for more information.
Ellison Sr. has been described as a personal “friend” of Trump, and the New York Times reports that shortly after Trump’s presidential victory, Ellison “showed up at Mar-a-Lago to sit in on a transition meeting.” He also visited the White House earlier this year to participate in the launch of the Stargate Project, an AI infrastructure initiative that will benefit the data center industry.
Ellison Sr. has also floated the idea of buying TikTok, which would give the family control of another massive media acquisition, albeit of a slightly different kind. Last August, The New York Times reported that Oracle was helping the Heritage Foundation, the right-wing org behind Project 2025, identify a list of Trump loyalists for the new administration in the area.
The Ellison family appears to be interested in supporting conservative voices. A report earlier this month by The Wall Street Journal said Ellison Jr. is looking to buy Bari Weiss’ Free Press for somewhere between $100 million and $200 million. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Ellison is considering giving Weiss a top editorial position at CBS, which is owned by Paramount.
Meanwhile, Ellison Jr. is also accused of engaging in a “side deal” with President Trump as part of CBS’s $16 million settlement with the president over what he says is a dishonestly edited interview with Kamala Harris from last year. That alleged deal allegedly included “up to $20 million in programming to support conservative causes,” though Paramount immediately clarified that it was unaware of any such terms, The Hollywood Reporter reported in August. Nonetheless, House Democrats have signaled their intent to investigate the matter.
