Paramount CEO David Ellison has spoken out against the lawsuit challenging his $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), arguing that the legal opposition is “not really about market share” but is politically driven.
Ellison's Defense
In a New York Times guest essay published on Tuesday, Ellison noted that the deal has “been reviewed and approved by regulators reflecting 65 countries, including the United States.” He downplayed competitive concerns raised by a coalition of states and the Writers Guild of America West and East, which also sued to block the merger.
Ellison suggested the real issue is whether he can be trusted to oversee CNN. “The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner’s CNN. There has been speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, I can’t give anyone a view into my heart and mind, but I can share this: I have regularly voted for candidates of both parties; I hold some views that would be called conservative and others that would be called liberal, just like most Americans.”
Background Controversies
Reporting has shown that Ellison and his father made promises to the Trump administration about influencing CNN’s coverage, reportedly to encourage federal approval of the merger. This has drawn criticism from Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Ellison, son of tech billionaire Larry Ellison, faced backlash as a media owner starting last summer after Skydance Media’s $8.4bn merger with Paramount Global. During the deal's closing, CBS abruptly canceled “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which aired its final episode in May. After the merger, Ellison appointed opinion writer Bari Weiss to lead CBS News, a controversial move that led to layoffs and editorial tensions.
Commitment to Independence
Without directly addressing the CBS controversies, Ellison wrote that he is committed to the independence that is at the core of the “founding principles” of CNN and CBS News. “I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth,” he said. “Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle. That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence. Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve – not to any party or cause.”
He added, “These were founding principles for both CNN and CBS News. For legends like Ted Turner and Edward R. Murrow, and it is exactly that kind of independence that has always fueled the greatness of ‘60 Minutes.’”
Legal Status
Ellison’s essay, titled “The Critics Are Wrong About My Politics,” comes as the merger is stalled in a California court after a 12-state coalition sued to block it on anti-competitive grounds. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín temporarily blocked the deal, and Paramount bypassed the injunction stage, holding up the merger until trial, potentially as late as June 2027. Paramount has proposed a November trial, while the state coalition seeks an April 2027 date.
