Story summary
On Tuesday, David Ellison closed his $110 billion merger between Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery, creating a new media conglomerate called Skydance Corporation. The deal faced months of public protests and legal challenges from 12 state attorneys general who worried it would limit competition and consumer choice. To resolve antitrust concerns, Ellison agreed to establish an independent oversight board to protect CNN's editorial independence and committed to spending an additional $1.5 billion on domestic production over five years. The merger combines two of America’s oldest film studios, along with popular streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount+, iconic franchises such as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, and networks including CBS, TNT Sports, and CNN. Ellison will control the new company alongside co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, further concentrating power in an already consolidated media landscape.
Written for “Hollywood Mega Merger” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 63294 · logged 2026-10-07
Skydance CEO David Ellison doubled down on his plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single streaming service – sparking questions about how much the mega-streamer could cost fans.
uncertain
streamer → double → fans
In the “long term,” the company plans to “bring [HBO Max] and [Paramount+] together” as one streaming service,” the exec told reporters Tuesday on his first day running the new Hollywood giant.
asserted
exec → plan → giant
“It’ll take a period of time to do that,” he added.
asserted
he → take → that
“So I think in the immediate, you will see them operated separately,” with “bundling” options available “in the relatively short term.”
asserted
options → think → term
Ellison said the company expects to “accelerate how quickly we accomplish that goal,” thanks to advancements in “AI technology and other things.”
asserted
we → say → technology
He declined to comment further on the bundle options.
asserted
He → decline → options
The combined streamer – which would merge the country’s third- and fifth-largest services – would boast about 200 million total subscribers, according to Ellison.
uncertain
which → combine → Ellison
During Tuesday’s press conference, Ellison noted a combined platform will allow Skydance to “compete with the Disneys and Netflixes and Amazons and anybody in the world.
asserted
Skydance → note → world
It’s unclear how much the combined service could cost, and whether the company is planning to hike prices.
uncertain
company → ’ → prices
It has already announced $6 billion in planned cost cuts, including layoffs, though it has not specified which divisions will be hit.
asserted
divisions → announce → layoffs
A basic HBO Max plan with ads currently costs $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year.
asserted
plan → cost → 10.99
The premium, ad-free version costs $22.99 a month or $229.99 annually.
asserted
version → cost → 22.99
The Paramount+ Essential plan with ads costs $8.99 a month, while the Premium plan – which is ad-free and allows customers to stream CBS live – costs $13.99 a month.
asserted
customers → cost → 13.99
That means if the streamers’ price tags were combined, a basic plan would cost $19.98 a month and a premium subscription would cost an eye-watering $36.98 a month.
But it’s likely the company will take a similar approach to Disney+ and Hulu, at least in the short term, by offering discounted bundle options.
asserted
company → mean → options
A standalone Hulu plan costs $12.49 a month with ads or $21.49 a month without ads, while a Disney+ plan goes for the same rates.
asserted
plan → cost → rates
The popular Disney+ and Hulu bundle, however, starts at $12.99 a month and goes up to $21.99 a month – just pennies more than customers pay for the individual plans.
asserted
customers → start → plans
HBO Max is also included in a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu, but it comes at a much steeper price tag – starting at $21.99 a month with ads or $34.99 a month with no ads.
asserted
it → include → ads
Paramount+ offers “Yellowstone” and its spin-off shows, along with “Landman,” “Criminal Minds” and “South Park.”
asserted
Paramount+ → offer → Landman
Ellison initially announced in March that the two streamers would be combined if the merger achieved regulatory approvals – but company executives have been delivering mixed messages.
asserted
executives → announce → messages
Casey Bloys, who has been tapped as chief content officer of Skydance and will lead the integration of the two streamers, last week said he expects the two platforms to remain separate with bundling options – with no mention of a combined service.
asserted
platforms → tap → service
“I would say that I don’t want to comment on what is going to happen or anything like that, but I would point to the HBO Max-Disney bundle, which has been very successful,” Bloys said during Bloomberg’s Screentime event.
asserted
Bloys → say → event
“That would make a lot of sense.”
asserted
That → make → sense
The Aporia
