{"id":985597,"date":"2026-08-07T00:01:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T00:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/985597\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T00:01:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T00:01:20","slug":"how-david-ellison-and-kamala-harris-could-rescue-paramount-wbd-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/985597\/","title":{"rendered":"How David Ellison (And Kamala Harris) Could Rescue Paramount-WBD Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Accustomed to getting what he wants, David Ellison<\/a> now looks to be running out of moves, time and maybe even money when it comes to his $111 billion Warner Bros Discovery acquisition<\/a>. Which begs the question: can the Oracle scion regain the upper hand for his deal with the Polo Lounge crowd and within the corridors of political power?<\/p>\n

In a fickle town where the sharks briskly smell blood, the Paramount<\/a> CEO\u2019s loss Tuesday in the trial start date<\/a> for the antitrust suit<\/a> from a plethora of state attorneys general and the WGA<\/a> has put the mega-merger<\/a> in serious potential peril for the first time since Ellison outbid Netflix earlier this year.<\/a><\/p>\n

Adding to the Skydance founder\u2019s woes is the declining net worth of his deal-backing and Oracle-founding father Larry Ellison<\/a> (still one of the richest people on the planet) and the massive $80 billion debt load a combined ParaBros would carry. A derided NYT op-ed earlier this week<\/a> by the younger Ellison appeared to raise more concerns than offering comfort for many.<\/p>\n

There has been some good news, like this morning with the UK government finally giving its approval to the deal <\/a>and joining the more than 60 jurisdictions, including the U.S. that have signed off on the merger. Also, earlier this week U.S. District Judge Araceli Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn, who is overseeing the AGs March 2027-starting trial, tossed out a consumer complaint against the merger \u2014 though the plaintiffs have leave to refile.<\/p>\n

Still, with that partisan-by-any-other-name AGs\u2019 suit, there\u2019s the looming kickoff next month of a $650 million-a-quarter ticking fee to WBD shareholders. As new-ish CBS News chieftain Bari Weiss looks poised to rule over CNN too, there are worries in Blue State and MSM circles about the fate of the cable newser \u2014 a thorn in Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s paw \u2014 if the ParaBros deal closes. Even with the support of top exhibitors<\/a> such as Regal Cinemas and AMC for the overall merger, there\u2019s additionally a vocalized lack of trust on the ground out West over this consolidation. In petitions, legal action and IG posts, the Hollywood guilds and a legion of A-listers are pessimistic Ellison will keep his expansive theatrical promises<\/a> if and when the deal finally closes.<\/p>\n

RELATED: David Ellison Says CNN Is Root Cause Of Merger Battle, Vows To Play It \u201cDown The Middle\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lurking in documents filed last week in the AGs\u2019 action, Paramount admitted that if the deal isn\u2019t finalized come February 19, they will have to refile merger materials with the DOJ. It\u2019s pretty much procedural, but still another pain in the butt. A bigger pain could be the June 4 expiration date next year for the WBD merger. Racking up more fees for Ellison, Paramount has a contractual obligation to a pay out $7 billion termination fee if the transaction does not close due to regulatory issues.<\/p>\n

So, coming off recent and possibly prejudicial endorsements from Ari Emanuel<\/a> and Chris Wallace \u2014 both of whom do big-money business with Paramount \u2014 plus a mixed Q2 earnings report<\/a> Tuesday, what is the younger Ellison to do?<\/p>\n

RELATED: Judge Sets Paramount-WBD Merger Antitrust Trial For March<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If Hollywood is quick to take a bite out of an injured party, the town\u2019s Mandarins and chattering classes are equally swift to offer advice, solicited or not. To that, here are a few suggestions I\u2019ve heard of what David Ellison could do to get his Paramount-WBD<\/a> merger back on track.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paramount Studios<\/p>\n

It\u2019s All About Jobs & Production<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDavid Ellison could end all this overnight simply by announcing four shows and two movies made in L.A.,\u201d a C-Suiter told me of the fears of a Paramount-WBD combo. \u201cIt\u2019s simple. Jobs are what people want, production, tangible investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, none of Taylor Sheridan\u2019s shows are made in Los Angeles (the scribe also hates the place), but CBS Studios does film NCIS, Matlock and Criminal Minds in the home of Hollywood. Still, with more than 40,000 industry jobs lost in the past few years, soundstages and vendor storefronts sitting empty, and lucrative overseas incentives seducing even more production away, things are bleak in town right now. Even with the state\u2019s annual $750 million film and TV tax credit program seeing a small increase in hometown productions, L.A. is still giving ghost-town vibes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get crews on the lots, paychecks in people\u2019s banks, like what The Pitt is doing, you\u2019re the hero,\u201d a seasoned producer says about the strategy Ellison should embrace ASAP. \u201cIt\u2019s a win-win. No politician is going to stand in front of that. Labor would love him (Ellison). Simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acknowledging ongoing worries about deep layoffs and the big debt a ParaBros would carry, a big- and small-screen producer still says the antitrust arguments of the AGs lawsuit and distrust of Ellison\u2019s promises of 30 movies a year and longer theatrical runs would \u201cevaporate.\u201d Predicting pressure from other guilds and their suddenly employed members could maybe see the WGA<\/a> walk back its own lawsuit against the deal,<\/a> the producer adds. \u201cThe town is starved for work, worried about AI, more cuts. Give that attention, it unlocks new alliances.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, for all his promises, pledges and a supposedly actionable letter circulating among exhibitors, Ellison is kind of burying his own lede when it comes to production. <\/p>\n

Both Paramount\u2019s recently announced Clueless sequel TV series<\/a> with Alicia Silverstone and the Viola Davis-starring Ascent<\/a> will be made in L.A. That means L.A. crews, L.A. cast and L.A goods and services, as well as investment in the local economy. Set to start production in 2027,<\/a> both shows are in the mix for the soon to be unveiled next round of state tax credits, I can confirm. There is a certain irony to it when you consider that while California AG Rob Bonta is trying to kill the merger, incentives from Sacramento may prove its saving grace.<\/p>\n

\"LesleyL-R: Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Bari Weiss and Bill Whitaker<\/p>\n

Ditch Bari Weiss<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBari Weiss has to go, it\u2019s that simple,\u201d a network news executive says of CBS News\u2019 Editor-in-Chief. \u201cEllison can\u2019t keep pretending anymore this is working. She\u2019s killing CBS News, 60 Minutes. She definitely shouldn\u2019t be anywhere near CNN for God\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting rid of Weiss would be a good reset,\u201d an industry vet says, noting missteps and a perception that pleasing Larry Ellison\u2019s good friend and CNN foe Trump is the real aim. \u201c[It would show] Ellison means it when he says he\u2019ll preserve CNN\u2019s editorial independence. Shows he runs a tight ship, gets big boy stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[David] Zaslav got it with [Chris] Licht,\u201d the vet adds of the WBD CEO\u2019s 2023 firing of his close pal and CNN leader after a series of blunders. \u201cif your people are a distraction from the mission, they got to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bringing it up again in his CNN-focused August 4 NYT op-ed, Ellison has spoken repeatedly of his belief \u201cnews should be based on facts and truth.\u201d Since purchasing Paramount last year, Ellison has also expressed his respect for \u201cthe home of Walter Cronkite\u201d and the responsibility that comes with the stewardship of CBS News. Yet, as a media insider told Deadline, \u201chis indulgence of Weiss tells a darker story.\u201d The insider added: \u201cShe is a wrecking ball. Doesn\u2019t matter what he says, he (Ellison) is responsible for the damage she\u2019s done in his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Emanuel-floated \u201ceditorial board\u201d for an Ellison-owned CNN cut little cloth, with Weiss returned to again and again as the problem and the solution.<\/p>\n

Since the day in 2025 that Ellison, the the newly minted Paramount CEO, bought The Free Press for around $150 million and brought founder Weiss on-board at CBS News, the anti-woke warrior has become a powder keg for the company. Under Weiss\u2019 tenure so far, a pre-Ellison $16 million payout <\/a>to settle a Trump lawsuit and ideological assumptions aside, ratings for the Tony Dokoupil-anchored nightly news and the morning show have cratered. Weiss\u2019s lack of TV experience has been blamed for the pratfalls the CBS Evening News has displayed the past several months. For many, that pales in comparison to the 60 Minutes bloodbath in June that saw correspondents Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega purged, joined by executive producer Tanya Simon\u00a0and others. Plus, allegations of MAGA-inclined interference by Weiss in stories and segments has left a rank odor in the joint \u2014 to put it politely.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that CNN staffers and talent have gone to CEO Mark Thompson with their own concerns about the Ellisons and Weiss since Paramount first expressed interest in buying WBD.<\/p>\n

Still, even with Ellison insisting in his op-ed that the AGs\u2019 lawsuit is really about control of CNN, sources inside Paramount tell me the CEO remains very much in Weiss\u2019 corner. On the record, a CBS News spokesperson said that any suggestion Weiss was going anywhere soon was \u201ccategorically not true and ridiculous on every level.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"L-R: Former second gentleman Doug Emhoff and former VP Kamala Harris<\/p>\n

Call Kamala Harris<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s shocking how partisan the Ellisons have made this deal, linking up with Trump,\u201d one Hollywood political alum lamented to Deadline. \u201cThey are being so short-sighted, when they should be making friends on both sides of the aisle, especially with Kamala [Harris],\u201d they asserted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should pick up the phone and ask Kamala for her advice, buy-in,\u201d a longtime member of the Hollywood donor class says, picking up on the tactic of engaging the former Vice President. \u201cShe knows antitrust law, and it shows he\u2019s not in Trump\u2019s pocket,\u201d he notes of the former two-term California Attorney General in the context of the lawsuit spearheaded by current state AG Bonta.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a centrist, a practical person.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a speech set for Friday at the Louisiana Democratic Party\u2019s Annual Gala makes clear, Harris isn\u2019t finished with presidential politics. In that sense, questioning Ellison\u2019s credibility and motives behind the ParaBros deal becomes \u201ca lot harder,\u201d an industry elder says, if he \u201cwidens his base in town\u201d by making it known he has reached out to Harris.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also on brand. <\/p>\n

From his private White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner party with Trump, shout-outs from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleged Oval Office assurances from Larry Ellison, UFC Freedom 250 bouts on the White House lawn and State of the Union attendance, it\u2019s sometimes hard to remember that David Ellison didn\u2019t always skew so MAGA. Laying out in his recent NYT op-ed that \u201cI have regularly voted for candidates of both parties; I hold some views that would be called conservative and others that would be called liberal,\u201d a transaction-centric Ellison is clearly looking to broaden the perspective on his personal leanings.<\/p>\n

In fact, while Paramount execs like former Trump Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim<\/a> would likely want to downplay it, Ellison did donate almost $1 million to Joe Biden and Harris\u2019 2024 campaign. As a matter of course, when Biden dropped out of the race, that money moved right into Harris\u2019 coffers.<\/p>\n

A conversation between Harris and Ellison has the added benefit of letting the ambitious CEO play the long post-Trump game \u2014 a place most power players in town like Disney\u2019s Josh D\u2019Amaro are already looking towards.<\/p>\n

Also, while the former Veep and 2024 White House candidate has been under the radar of late and hasn\u2019t attracted any of the 2028 attention of a Gavin Newsom or even a Mitch Landrieu, Harris is still a big player among the Democratic base \u2014 as that August 7 New Orleans event displays. Her office did not respond to Deadline\u2019s request for the ex-VPs POV on Ellison or the ramifications of any outreach by the exec. Paramount was mum on the notion too.<\/p>\n

With the turbulent upcoming midterms, which is looking very strong for the Dems, as the steppingstone to 2028, it might not be a bad idea for David Ellison to consider the upside of being good friends with the possible next POTUS as well as the current one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Accustomed to getting what he wants, David Ellison now looks to be running out of moves, time and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":985598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[9],"tags":[395352,32129,69,171,92329,395353,7813,15329,265995,269047,42859,67,132,68,27281,75576],"class_list":["post-985597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-california-tax-credits","tag-david-ellison","tag-donald-trump","tag-entertainment","tag-larry-ellison","tag-makan-delrahim","tag-merger","tag-paramount","tag-paramount-wb","tag-paramount-wbd","tag-sag-aftra","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-warner-bros-discovery","tag-wga"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117051293034673523","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=985597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/985598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=985597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=985597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=985597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}