Ellison Addresses Warner Executives, Urges Focus on HBO Standard Amid Merger Push

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison addressed roughly 160 Warner Bros. Discovery executives (with 300+ joining remotely) about Paramount’s pending $111 billion deal for WBD, saying the turbulent pre-merger phase is behind them and outlining a plan for about 30 films per year across the combined studios. He praised HBO as “the gold standard” in TV, noted about $6 billion in cost savings without giving specific layoffs due to gun-jumping rules, and flagged discussions on the future of HBO Max/Paramount+ and CNN’s editorial independence. Paramount expects the deal to close in Q3 2026 and has a ticking fee of $0.25 per share per quarter until completion.