Jeffrey Katzenberg Says Trump Has Always Been No Good; Praises Biden

Jeffrey Katzenberg is a man known for choosing his words very carefully most of the time, and tonight the WndrCo boss was pretty candid when it came to Donald Trump and Joe Biden. “I’ve known Donald Trump for 50 years,” Katzenberg told a well-heeled West Hollywood crowd on Sunday of first meeting the former president … Read more

Jeffrey Katzenberg Weighs In On Paramount Drama, Backs David Ellison

Another big Hollywood name is rooting for a Paramount-Skydance deal as Jeffrey Katzenberg says that outcome would be “a great win for Paramount and for people in the industry.” Speaking a the Axios BFD Talks: LA this evening, the DreamWorks co-founder and former Walt Disney Studios head acknowledged that the situation is complicated. “There’s a … Read more

Paramount Sets Bob Bakish Exit Terms And Interim Principal Executive

Paramount Global says Chris McCarthy is the company’s “interim principal executive officer,” a necessity required by the SEC that apparently does not signal he has more decision-making power among a trio of top executives who stepped up to replace Bob Bakish this week in a new Office of the CEO. Security & Exchange Commission rules … Read more

Skydance, Paramount Drama – Will David Ellison Walk?

The clock is ticking down to midnight, the end of a month-long exclusive negotiating window between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. The David Ellison company has been circling Paramount for months and lobbed several offers to buy out Shari Redstone‘s controlling stake, backed by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital. The Skydance … Read more

Sony & Apollo Make Formal Overture To Paramount Board To Discuss Deal

Partners Sony and Apollo have formally reached out to Paramount‘s special board committee asking to discuss a potential $26 billion cash offer, Deadline has learned. It comes as Par’s exclusive negotiating window with David Ellison‘s Skydance is set to expire. Paramount share are up more than 13% on the news. Investors would vastly prefer a … Read more

Skydance Puts Revised Offer On The Table For Paramount

David Ellison’s Skydance has presented Paramount Global board’s special committee with a revised offer to take control of the company, Deadline has learned. Terms weren’t immediately available, story will be updated when they are. The new proposal is likely designed to make a deal more palatable to Paramount investors beyond controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, something … Read more

Skydance In Pole Position For Paramount; Sony, Apollo In The Wings

Skydance and Paramount are deep into hashing out a complicated deal that would see the David Ellison’s studio and its backers take control of the storied film and television company owned by Shari Redstone. The exclusive month-long negotiating period through May 3 is likely to be extended perhaps by a few weeks, Deadline hears, given … Read more

Paramount Shares Surge On News Of Sony Possibly Joining Apollo’s Takeover Bid

Paramount Global shares jumped 13% Friday as investors cheered news that Sony Pictures Entertainment is talking with Apollo Global Management about joining Apollo’s bid for Paramount. The beleaguered stock ended the day at $12.44 after registering more than twice its normal trading volume. Shares reached their highest point since February, offering fresh evidence that many … Read more

Four Paramount Directors Said To Be Exiting Amid Skydance Deal Talks

The temperature is rising as Paramount Global‘s common shareholders continue to publicly and privately bash a possible acquisition by David Ellison’s Skydance Media with terms they insist would mainly benefit Shari Redstone, and theatening legal action. With the parties in the midst of a 30-day exclusive negotiating period, a report this week said four Par … Read more

Paramount Boss Makes Joke About Skydance Deal At CinemaCon

What do you do when your conglom might be a target for a takeover. Don’t sweat it and laugh. As Skydance remains in talks with Paramount Global’s majority shareholder National Amusements to take control of the studio Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins made light of sales talks before exhibitors at CinemaCon in Las Vegas saying … Read more