One of tech's elder statesmen and his once-minor studio-owner son are suddenly on the verge of becoming Hollywood's next power family. If Oracle founder Larry Ellison and his son David complete a deal to bolt Warner Bros. Discovery onto Paramount Skydance, which was created in an August merger, the duo would preside over a sprawl of outlets that stretches from NFL broadcasts to TikTok feeds, the New York Times reports. The resulting web of companies would include CBS, CNN, HBO, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and software giant Oracle—plus a significant piece of TikTok's US operation—putting the Ellisons in the same league as the Murdochs at their peak.
Oracle remains the financial engine, a $430 billion database powerhouse that also owns 15% of the venture running TikTok in the US, with influence over how the app's content is moderated.
- David Ellison runs Paramount Skydance, which already controls CBS, Paramount+, and a cluster of cable channels such as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and BET. Warner Bros. Discovery would add HBO and HBO Max's prestigious catalog; cable outlets including HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TLC, Adult Swim, and TNT; and CNN's global news operation with more than 3,000 employees.
- On the film side, the Ellisons would command two major studios. Warner Bros. brings franchises from Harry Potter and Batman to The Lord of the Rings, plus a vast library that includes Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and Gone With the Wind, the Times reports. Paramount Pictures adds Top Gun, The Godfather, and Grease, along with franchises like Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and Transformers.
- In television, CBS sports rights to the NFL, March Madness, and the Masters remain prime assets, while Paramount+—now led by former Netflix executive Cindy Holland—leans on Taylor Sheridan dramas and Star Trek to grow its 79 million-subscriber base.
- The Ellisons' influence would also extend into journalism: CBS News and CNN would sit inside one of the most concentrated media-and-tech portfolios on the planet.
- Paramount launched its hostile bid after Netflix announced a deal to buy key Warner Bros. assets in December—which President Trump said he would be "involved" in vetting. Netflix said it was pulling out of the deal shortly after CEO Ted Sarandos visited the White House on Thursday, reports CNBC. The Paramount deal will also face scrutiny from federal regulators, the Wall Street Journal notes.
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