Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison Says WBD Deal Positions It To Compete More Effectively Globally: Report

• Ellison said the combined entity would control a film catalogue of roughly 15,000 titles.
• He also highlighted the financial strength of the combined business and highlighted the expected $10 billion annual cash flow in 2026.
• Ellison acknowledged that the merged company will likely streamline certain corporate functions.

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) CEO David Ellison on Thursday outlined his vision for the company following the deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (WBD).

Speaking to CNBC, Ellison stated that the transaction could strengthen competition in the media and streaming industry. He emphasized that the combination of major film libraries and stronger financial resources would position the company to compete more effectively in the global entertainment market.

“We believe this deal is pro-competitive, pro-consumer, and it is good for the overall creative economy,” he said.

Massive Film Library Strengthens Content Strategy

Ellison said the combined entity would control a film catalog of roughly 15,000 titles. The collection would include blockbuster franchises such as the Harry Potter series, Mission Impossible, and titles connected to the DC universe.

He noted that housing all those titles under a single corporate structure provides the scale needed to compete with large streaming platforms. The larger catalog offers more content for digital platforms and helps boost the company’s push to expand its global streaming footprint.

“That puts us in an incredible position to really be able to win in the content space. It immediately gets us to scale in streaming,” Ellison added. 

Ellison also highlighted the financial strength of the combined business. He said the company anticipates generating more than $10 billion in annual cash flow, supported by approximately $69 billion in revenue and roughly $18 billion in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). 

He said that these resources would allow management to invest heavily in technology and to manage existing debt obligations.

Possible Operational Changes

While Ellison acknowledged that the merged company will likely streamline certain corporate functions, he stressed that job cuts are not the primary goal behind the deal. 

“We will absolutely have to rationalize the overall corporate overhead of the company. But that’s not the primary driver of the synergies in the deal,” Ellison said. 

The battle to acquire Warner Bros. assets was highly competitive. Netflix initially made a bid of $82.7 billion for the assets, excluding cable networks. Paramount later stepped in with a hostile bid, increasing the proposal to $31 per share.

PSKY stock has gained over 4% in the last 12 months. 

Also See: Why Did CRMD Stock Tumble Over 11% Today?

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