Overview

• Skydance and RedBird finalized their Paramount acquisition, giving David Ellison and his team controlling stakes and oversight of CBS, Comedy Central, MTV Networks, Showtime and the Melrose Avenue film studio.
• New leadership set an ambitious target to expand Paramount’s theatrical slate to as many as 20 films per year, explicitly sidelining made-for-streaming features.
• Star Trek will be developed holistically across film and television, and a third Top Gun installment is now a top studio priority with Tom Cruise expected to return.
• Paramount is merging its Paramount+ and Pluto TV platforms into a unified streaming infrastructure and has secured major content deals including a seven-year, $7.7 billion UFC agreement.
• The new owners have committed to roughly $2 billion in cost savings through operational restructuring even as Paramount’s stock has jumped on early investor optimism.