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David Ellison

David Ellison

American executive and film producer

Appears in 4 stories

Born: 1983 (age 43 years), Santa Clara County, CA
Spouse: Sandra Lynn Modic (m. 2011)
Production companies: Skydance Media, Paramount Skydance, and Skydance Animation
Parents: Larry Ellison and Barbara Boothe
Education: University of Southern California and Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton

Notable Quotes

“We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood… in the best interests of the creative community, consumers and the movie theater industry.”([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/347540ae7a4f83fced833fe882f25680))

Stories

Paramount Skydance’s $108 billion hostile bid ignites a fight for Warner Bros. Discovery

Money Moves

Won the WBD bidding war; deal cleared by DOJ June 2026; set to lead the combined Paramount-WBD entity at closing

Paramount Skydance won the five-month bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD shareholders voted in April 2026 to accept Paramount's $31-per-share all-cash offer—valued at roughly $111 billion including debt. Netflix declined to match the price in February and walked away with a $2.8 billion breakup fee.

Updated 2 days ago

The CBS News kill switch

Rule Changes

Overseeing CBS News restructuring after merger completion

Three hours before airtime on December 22, CBS News killed a 60 Minutes investigation into Venezuelan migrants tortured in an El Salvador prison after Trump deportations. The segment had passed five screenings, legal review, and standards checks. New editor-in-chief Bari Weiss—appointed two months earlier when Paramount Skydance bought her media company for $150 million—demanded the piece include Trump administration comment or an interview with hardline advisor Stephen Miller. When the White House refused, she spiked it.

Updated May 16

Netflix’s $82.7 billion bid for Warner Bros. rewrites the streaming wars

Money Moves

Escalating hostile takeover attempts through litigation and board challenges; extended tender deadline to February 20

On December 5, 2025, Netflix announced a definitive deal to acquire Warner Bros.' film and television studios and streaming businesses, including HBO and HBO Max, valued at $72 billion in equity and $82.7 billion including debt. On January 20, 2026, the parties amended to an all-cash structure at $27.75 per share, with a shareholder vote expected by April 2026.

Updated May 10

Netflix’s $72 billion bid for Warner Bros. reshapes the streaming power map

Money Moves

Driving hostile $30/share tender offer to acquire all of WBD and supplant Netflix deal

After Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery announced their $72 billion equity-value agreement on December 5, the transaction quickly became a live bidding contest and a regulatory test case. On December 8, Paramount Skydance launched an unsolicited all-cash tender offer at $30 per share to derail the Netflix deal and keep WBD intact, including networks slated for its Discovery Global spin-off. Within days, Netflix began a coordinated shareholder push backing its signed merger agreement and emphasizing regulatory execution, while WBD prepared formal filings to respond to the tender offer.

Updated May 9