Paramount’s board on Sunday signed off on a deal to merge with Skydance, according to two people familiar with the negotiations, ushering in a new era for CBS, Nickelodeon and the film studio behind the “Top Gun” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises.
Ms. Redstone, Paramount’s board chair, is cashing in much of her ownership in the company she fought to preserve and control.
David Ellison, the tech scion behind Skydance, will become the top power broker at Paramount.
The Ellisons’ considerable resources was a major selling point for the Redstones, who were seeking to fortify Paramount for the long-term.
Paramount has tried to replace its fading cable TV enterprise with streaming businesses like Paramount+, but those efforts are still nowhere near as profitable as traditional TV operations.
Persons:
David Ellison, Ellison, Larry Ellison
Organizations:
Sunday, CBS, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Oracle, Netflix
Locations:
Hollywood