General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFYI for CBS boycotters: Ellisons' broader portfolio and the broader Paramount Skydance enterprise
From AI (Gemini)
Paramount Global and CBS are owned by Skydance Media, a production company controlled by CEO David Ellison and the Ellison family. Their media, tech, and entertainment empire includes a massive array of networks, studios, and platforms.The Ellisons' broader portfolio and the broader Paramount Skydance enterprise include:
📺 Entertainment & Studio
Paramount Pictures: The historic Hollywood movie studio behind franchises like Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, and Transformers.
Skydance Media: The original production studio founded by David Ellison, which produces major film and TV content.
Cable & Broadcast Networks:
MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central (including South Park), BET, the Paramount Network, TV Land, and VH1.
Showtime: The premium television network and its associated streaming and cable assets.
AwesomenessTV: Digital media and youth-focused studio operations.💻
Technology & Streaming:
Pluto TV: The popular free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service.
TikTok US Operations: Tech magnate Larry Ellison (David's father) and Oracle hold a major stake in the U.S. operations of the social media platform.
Oracle: The multinational computer technology corporation co-founded by Larry Ellison, which manages massive digital and cloud infrastructure.
📰 News & Publishing
CBS News: The primary news division, including the CBS News 24/7 streaming channel.
Simon & Schuster: The major multinational book publishing company.
lostincalifornia
(5,547 posts)pat_k
(13,882 posts)This level of concentration is appalling. In a sane world, it would be stopped in anti-trust reviews.
lostincalifornia
(5,547 posts)Trump and his DOJ, I sure wont on it
pat_k
(13,882 posts)The Prospect reported on what they are up to, led by CA AG Bonta back in Feb. Not sure about progress.
https://prospect.org/2026/02/27/states-can-block-paramount-warner-deal/
And there is the consumer lawsuit. Not only are they seeking to block the Warner Bros/CNN/HBO acquisition, they are seeking to unwind the acquisition of Paramount.
https://deadline.com/2026/04/paramount-sued-antitrust-block-warner-bros-deal-1236877774/
The April 23, 2026, stockholder vote materially changed the posture of the proposed acquisition, says a wide-ranging antitrust filed Thursday in California federal court by five pay-TV and streaming services subscribers. Before that vote, the transaction remained contingent on Warner Bros. Discovery stockholder approval. After that vote, a major closing condition had been satisfied, and the threatened injury to Plaintiffs became substantially more imminent because the remaining barriers to consummation were principally regulatory and closing-condition barriers rather than stockholder approval....
yellow dahlia
(6,505 posts)No need to consume CBS any more. I removed 60 Minutes from my programming last year, and now, with the exit of Colbert, CBS goes dark for me.
I haven't completely eliminated an occasional glance at CNN, but once the take over is complete, I will.
I probably purchase the occasional book published by Simon & Schuster, but otherwise I don't rub elbows with their products.
Thanks for the list, pat.
pat_k
(13,882 posts)I got into their additions to the Star Trek franchise (Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Section 31). I had seen all the seasons that were available before they acquired CBS/Paramount last year, so had no qualms about cancelling my paramount plus. Unfortunately, there is a new season of Strange New Worlds coming up. All the episodes will be out by the end of Sept and I will probably sign on for a month to catch up. Or maybe I'll be able to resist.
RockRaven
(19,759 posts)but I don't need to boycott (and have such confidence in my abilities) because I already don't use/consume any of that these days.
NJCher
(43,543 posts)Im a boycotter who didnt know about Simon & Schuster.
Cant think of the title, but theres been a book about the formation of CBS. The author lives somewhere around here and the library had an interview and book signing. I went because Id read the book.
The formation of this company is replete with bad human behavior. Suing, cheating each other over inheritance, that type of thing. I was disgusted and found it interesting how many others knew about it, too, based on the comments and questions at the end of the program.
thanks for posting this
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