Paramount-WBD Becomes Skydance

David Ellison said the combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery company will be called Skydance after the merger closes. A judge approved a settlement with 12 states, clearing the merger’s last major legal hurdle. The roughly $110 billion deal is expected to close Tuesday, October 6, after challenges from state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America. Those opponents argued the merger would create an illegal monopoly or too much market concentration. Ellison said the name preserves Paramount and Warner Bros. as separate studio brands. The company will trade as SKYD. When the deal closes, Ellison and Ynon Kreiz will serve as co-CEOs.