National Amusements, which owns a majority voting stake in embattled entertainment giant Paramount Global, said Tuesday that it has ended talks on a possible merger of Paramount with movie production company Skydance Media.
The potential deal had drawn attention for weeks amid concerns about Paramount’s future given its heavy debt load and declining television business.
One media report in early June even stated that Paramount and Skydance had agreed to terms of a deal, contingent only on a signoff from Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone. A statement from National Amusements merely noted that the two sides “have not been able to reach mutually acceptable terms” for the deal, AP reported.
Skydance, based in Santa Monica, California, has helped produce some major Paramount hits in recent years. Those include several Tom Cruise films including ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and installments of the ‘Mission Impossible’ series. Its founder and CEO is David Ellison, the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
Paramount has struggled in an evolving media landscape, particularly as its traditional cable business has declined. To capture today’s growing streaming audience, the company launched Paramount+ in 2021, but losses and debts have still piled up over time.
News body NBDA seeks journalistic exemption under digital data rules
‘Ramayana’ producer Malhotra likens film to ‘Avatar’, ‘LOTR’, ‘Odyssey’
Bombay HC protects ‘Ramayana’ from piracy
CEO Jassy says Prime Video gains profit; bullish on ad momentum
JioStar Q2 revenue up 10.1% to Rs 6,806cr. despite weak ad environ
Google brings AI Mode ads to India, 9 other markets
Tata Play appoints Abhishek Pathak as Chief Content Officer
Bhuvan Bam announces ‘Dhindora’ S2 release date
Apple TV announces new series ‘Lenni’ starring Toni Collette
‘The Traitors Telugu’ heads into finale with six players
JD Majethia explores AI storytelling with ‘Tulsi Hai Na’ 


