Skydance CEO David Ellison pledged to preserve the editorial independence of CNN and CBS News following the completion of Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), while offering his support for CNN’s legal challenge over White House press access.
At a press conference on Tuesday hours after Paramount’s acquisition of WBD closed, Ellison said he believed “in editorial independence, and we will never interfere.” He said Skydance intends to keep CNN and CBS News editorially independent while investing in their digital operations.
“We’re going to make sure that CNN and CBS News are completely editorially independent,” Ellison said. “We’re going to build a streaming service that can compete with anybody.”
Additional details about the company’s streaming plans weren’t address. CBS News offers a free, 24-hours national news stream on most popular platforms, including YouTube and Paramount-owned Pluto TV, while CNN offers a limited amount of original programming and clips from its cable news shows via CNN Headlines.
Ellison said the Paramount-WBD streaming business reaches more than 200 million global subscribers, and the combined company plans to lean on that reach.
During the town hall, CNN host Anderson Cooper questioned whether Ellison backed the network’s ongoing lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration over its banishment from the White House press pool last month.
“Of course,” Ellison said, according to the network. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday.
Trump and other members of his administration publicly supported Paramount’s efforts to acquire WBD, with Trump saying the merger might influence the editorial direction of CNN. He has long been critical of the network and its coverage of his first and second terms in office.
Ellison tried to downplay concerns that CNN would lose its editorial independence — concerns that are understandable in light of Paramount’s handling of CBS News following its acquisition by Skydance Media last year.
“We have a good relationship with this administration,” Ellison said. He added that he also maintained relationships with former President Joe Biden, Republican Senator Tim Scott and Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“We want to speak to everybody,” Ellison said. “We do not want to politicize the company.”
CNN Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Mark Thompson and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss attended Tuesday’s town hall. Ellison praised both executives during the subsequent press conference.
Asked by Cooper whether the two news organizations could eventually share operations following the merger, Ellison declined to outline specific plans.
“It’s day one,” Ellison said.
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