Skydance Media finalized its $8 billion merger with Paramount Global. David Ellison now controls Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, and Nickelodeon. Bob Bakish was pushed out for opposing the deal.

The real story: this is about Oracle money (Larry Ellison) entering Hollywood through his son. This episode explains why tech billionaires keep trying to buy studios, what Skydance gets from legacy broadcast infrastructure, and why this deal signals that streaming-only strategies are failing.

The hidden economics of why owning broadcast networks still matters—and what Paramount looks like under tech-backed leadership.

The takeaway: This wasn't a creative decision—it was a capital structure play.

]]>

Netflix agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and HBO for $72-82 billion. The headline says content consolidation. The business logic says something different.

This episode breaks down the real incentives: Netflix needs premium content libraries to reduce churn and justify price increases. WBD needs to shed debt. The hidden story is that Netflix is essentially admitting original programming alone can't sustain growth—they need legacy IP and prestige brands like HBO.

What this means for the streaming landscape, potential regulatory hurdles, and what it signals about the future of media consolidation.

The takeaway: This isn't about entertainment—it's about leverage, balance sheets, and who controls distribution.

]]>