All posts tagged: Paramount

Paramount Reopening Bay Theater as L.A.’s Cinema Scene Roars Back

Paramount Reopening Bay Theater as L.A.’s Cinema Scene Roars Back

Published by Daniella Wilson

Paramount is taking over the Bay Theater, the long-shuttered cinema at Palisades Village formerly leased by Netflix, adding to a wave of revivals of dormant movie theaters across Los Angeles. Paramount Pictures and developer Rick Caruso on Tuesday announced plans to reopen the theater later this year, bringing first-run theatrical releases from all studios, classics and experiential events to the neighborhood cinema that has been closed since the wildfires ravaged the area last year. The location will be operated by The Lot, a luxury dine-in theater chain. “Together with Caruso, we are proud to help bring the Bay back to life as a place for the Pacific Palisades community to gather around the shared experience of cinema,” said Skydance CEO David Ellison in a statement. “This theater has always meant more than movies alone – it’s woven into the fabric of this neighborhood, and helping restore it is a privilege.” Paramount Pictures said it’s exploring opportunities to support the Pacific Palisades community, which includes contributing to the commercial revitalization of Palisades Village. There are plans …

Avatar: Seven Havens release schedule: When are episodes on Paramount+?

Avatar: Seven Havens release schedule: When are episodes on Paramount+?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Avatar: Seven Havens is the latest chapter in the Avatar story that began with the 2005 animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, The Last Airbender was followed by the 2012 series Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and now this new series, Seven Havens, which follows the story of Pavi, a young Earthbender who discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra. Saheli Khan stars as Pavi, alongside Aishu Devan as her twin Nisha, Akshay Khanna as Karthik, Major Curda as Jae, Sakina Jaffrey as Agam, Darren Barnet as Daemin, Dianne Doan as Zi and Dee Bradley Baker as the voices of Geet and Ruhi. The first season has launched on Paramount+, and the series has already been renewed for three more seasons. Read on for everything you need to know about the schedule for Avatar: Seven Havens season 1. When are new episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens released? Avatar: Seven Havens. Paramount+ Paramount+ released the first three episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens on Friday 9 October. There are 10 …

Paramount completes bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery | Ents & Arts News

Paramount completes $81bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery | Ents & Arts News

Published by Daniella Wilson

Skydance-owned Paramount has completed its $81bn (£61bn) takeover of Warner Bros Discovery – bringing together the two media giants under a combined company. Paramount, the studio behind the Mission: Impossible films and Top Gun: Maverick, is now under the same roof as movie titles like Harry Potter, Barbie and The Dark Knight, news networks such as CNN and streaming service HBO Max. The merger, one of the biggest in US media history, went through after settlements were reached with a coalition of US states and a Hollywood writers’ union – removing the final legal barriers. The new company is called Skydance and its chief executive David Ellison now controls one of the world’s largest entertainment conglomerates. Image: David Ellison. Pic: AP Mr Ellison has named Ynon Kreiz, former chief of children’s toy company Mattel, as Skydance co-chief executive to run day-to-day operations. Mr Ellison will oversee creative direction and overall strategy. The duo are expected to deliver $6bn (£4.5bn) in cost savings, which Paramount said would come from combining streaming technologies and cloud providers of …

Hollywood’s Newest Media Colossus: Paramount and Warner Bros. Merge Under Skydance

Hollywood’s Newest Media Colossus: Paramount and Warner Bros. Merge Under Skydance

Published by Miika Tikkanen

With Paramount CEO David Ellison overcoming the final hurdle blocking his expansion of the Paramount media empire, the billionaire media executive announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the newly merged entity combining Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be named Skydance. The announcement comes after the company entered into a consent decree to settle antitrust claims brought by a group of 12 state attorneys general, who had sued in July over concerns that the merger would concentrate too much control over news networks, cable TV and the film industry. With the last legal opposition cleared, the path was open to finalize the massive the $111 billion merger on Sept. 21. “Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling,” Ellison posted on Friday. “We wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.” There was a year-long bidding battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, leaving Ellison as the top bidder after …

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to become Skydance

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to become Skydance

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will operate as Skydance once their merger closes, Paramount CEO David Ellison announced Friday. Skydance is the name of Ellison’s original film production company. The roughly $110 billion deal is expected to close October 6. It will combine two major Hollywood studios, Paramount+ and HBO Max, and networks including CBS, CNN, MTV, TBS, Comedy Central, and Food Network. Skydance will also control franchises such as “The Lord of the Rings,” “Game of Thrones,” the DC Universe, and “Yellowstone.” The merger followed a drawn-out corporate battle. Netflix had agreed to acquire Warner Bros.’ streaming and studio businesses before the broader Paramount deal moved forward. Twelve states challenged the deal, arguing it could reduce competition and harm consumers and workers, but a judge approved a settlement with the state attorneys general this week. Ellison said the Paramount and Warner Bros. brands will remain central. “We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one,” he wrote on X. The new name, he said, gives the company “an identity …

‘Nothing Has Changed’ on Survivor After DEI Rolled Back

‘Nothing Has Changed’ on Survivor After DEI Rolled Back

Published by Daniella Wilson

Jeff Probst said “nothing has changed” on Survivor when it comes to the reality show’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, despite Paramount rolling back DEI policies when Donald Trump returned to the White House. The long-running host and showrunner recently told The New York Times that it was “one of the biggest positive changes ever,” referring to when CBS launched a DEI initiative in 2020, post-Black Lives Matter, that required unscripted reality shows to have at least 50 percent of castmembers be people of color. “If you watch our show, you know that we’re so diverse — and it’s not just skin color or ethnicity. It goes much deeper than that,” the Emmy winner said. “It’s one of the biggest positive changes ever. Our stories are so much more interesting now because we have people from completely different walks of life.” The Hollywood Reporter reported last year that Paramount was among companies across the entertainment industry stepping back on policies aimed at boosting diversity amid a larger crackdown on DEI programs driven by the …

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Slams Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Slams Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

Published by Daniella Wilson

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger following Monday’s settlement, calling it a “shameful monument to corruption.” “America is free only when the media is competitive, independent, and accountable to the people,” he wrote on X Tuesday afternoon. “This merger strikes a chilling blow against that freedom — and hands even more power to billionaires like David Ellison to decide what Americans see and hear, all while lifting scrutiny off the federal leaders who pushed it through.” “This decision is a shameful monument to corruption and a betrayal that the American people won’t soon forget,” the mayor added. It was revealed on Monday that 12 states, including California and New York, and the Writers Guild of America agreed to settle their antitrust lawsuits against Paramount Skydance, owned by Ellison, over its $111 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, paving the way for the mega merger that will vastly reshape Hollywood. Among the deal terms, which were announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the state’s case, Paramount has …

Warner Bros. Merger Back On: Paramount Settles Antitrust Suit

Warner Bros. Merger Back On: Paramount Settles Antitrust Suit

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Paramount reached a settlement on Monday resolving the antitrust lawsuit that delayed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, as reported earlier by The New York Times. If approved by the courts, this would remove the last major obstacle to the proposed $111 billion merger, creating one of the world’s largest media companies. The deal includes oversight to ensure the editorial independence of news organizations and a commitment to protections for film production and cable pricing, but no requirement for Paramount to relinquish control of its primary networks or film studios. In July, a group of 12 state attorneys general — led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta — sued Paramount, arguing the merger would concentrate too much control over news networks, cable TV and the movie industry. The suit followed a year-long bidding battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, leaving Paramount CEO David Ellison as the top bidder after Netflix dropped out. What was agreed to, and what was not Under the consent decree — an agreed-upon list of compromises resolving the lawsuit pending court approval …

Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery fueled by foreign cash: report

Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery fueled by foreign cash: report

Published by Sam Flores

One of the largest media mergers in history has been given the green light after California and 11 other states settled lawsuits Monday. For most of the year, Paramount Skydance has tried to purchase Warner Bros Discovery for a reported $110 billion, but those efforts were stalled over the summer. Paramount and the states agreed to certain concessions to complete the deal, California’s attorney general Rob Bonta said at a news conference. Bonta led the coalition of states, plus a Hollywood writers union, that sued in July to stop the merger. “This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger. It is not a blessing of the broader merger,” Bonta said Monday. “Broadly speaking, we believe further consolidation of markets that are central to American economic life doesn’t serve the American economy.” The Block the Merger Coalition released a statement saying “This is a bad deal for the future of film, entertainment, independent journalism and a strong democracy in this country. We are disappointed and angry that the interests of average Americans have …

Paramount Settlement Gives Protection to Pluto TV

Paramount Settlement Gives Protection to Pluto TV

Published by Daniella Wilson

The headline items — rightfully so — in the consent decree between Paramount and 12 states are an increased commitment to production in the United States, an “editorial independence board” for CBS News and CNN and the fact that the combined company will still have to negotiate as two separate entities for cable carriage fees. Deeper into the document, though, is a carve-out for another piece of the Paramount empire: Pluto TV. The free, ad-supported streaming service has been something of an afterthought in the abundance of discussion and negotiations about the megamerger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s the only free streamer either of the two current companies currently operates, and because of that, Pluto received its own protections under the consent decree. Specifically, for the five-year term of the settlement, “The [merged company] shall continue to maintain and make available a free, ad-supported streaming service under the Pluto TV brand or a successor or substantially equivalent replacement brand or service.” ParaBros is also obligated to maintain “service and quality levels at or above …