David Ellison says combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance

It’s a full-circle moment for a company that has undergone two major acquisitions within the last 18 months.

Skip NavigationJoin ICJoin ProLivestreamMenu

  • David Ellison said the combined company of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance.
  • In August 2025, Ellison’s Skydance closed its acquisition of Paramount. Weeks later, the CEO set his sights on Warner Bros. Discovery.
  • Ellison said in a social media post the new name allows the company to preserve Paramount and Warner Bros. as distinct studios.

David Ellison says combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydancewatch nowVIDEO03:05David Ellison says combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named SkydanceSquawk on the Street

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison announced Friday that upon closing his company’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery next week, the combined entity will be named Skydance.

It’s a full-circle moment for a company that has undergone two major acquisitions within the last 18 months.

“Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture,” Ellison wrote in social media post Friday. “By combining them, we aren’t rewriting history — we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling.”

Ellison noted the new name allows the company to preserve Paramount and Warner Bros. as distinct studios. The merged company will trade under the new ticker “SKYD.”

“We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one,” he said. “Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.”

CEO of Paramount Skydance David Ellison poses on the red carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 7, 2025. Jeenah Moon | Reuters

The Paramount and Warner Bros. studios together are set to release 35 films next year, according to data from Rentrak.

In August 2025, Ellison’s Skydance — the production company behind “Mission Impossible” movies and “Top Gun: Maverick” — closed its acquisition of Paramount. Weeks later, the CEO set his sights on Warner Bros. Discovery in a takeover effort that would ultimately launch a bidding war.

In February, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery struck an agreement worth roughly $110 billion on an enterprise basis.

After settling a legal challenge brought by a group of state attorneys general, Paramount Skydance said this week the deal is expected to close on Tuesday.

Upon closing, Ellison and outgoing Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz will serve as co-CEOs.

Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About the Author

Easy WordPress Websites Builder: Versatile Demos for Blogs, News, eCommerce and More – One-Click Import, No Coding! 1000+ Ready-made Templates for Stunning Newspaper, Magazine, Blog, and Publishing Websites.

BlockSpare — News, Magazine and Blog Addons for (Gutenberg) Block Editor

Search the Archives

Access over the years of investigative journalism and breaking reports