Warner Bros. Discovery Stages Thin 2026 Upfront as $110 Billion Paramount Skydance Deal Looms
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 13
Warner Bros. Discovery Stages Thin 2026 Upfront as $110 Billion Paramount Skydance Deal Looms
8 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · May 13
Warner Bros. Discovery’s 2026 upfront ran brief and flat, with little fall programming to sell and few marquee executives or stars onstage.
Ryan Gould and Bobby Voltaggio openly referenced the pending Paramount Skydance takeover, telling advertisers the company would help them navigate the transition.
David Zaslav and HBO chief Casey Bloys were absent, leaving ad and marketing executives to pitch measurement tools and a sparse lineup of talent and content.
The muted event underscored how the merger—expected this fall, pending regulators—has left WBD in limbo at a showcase normally built around a robust fall slate.
Can CNN's journalism remain independent under a new owner facing intense regulatory scrutiny and foreign ownership questions?
Will the WBD-Paramount merger create a media titan, or is it destined to repeat a history of debt and failure?