David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz will lead the combined media company when the transaction closes Tuesday.
David Ellison has unveiled the executive leadership roster for Skydance ahead of Paramount closing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday. The new structure gives Casey Bloys content oversight of streaming services, including Paramount+, while uniting television, film and news divisions under a single corporate banner.
Ellison will lead the company alongside co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, the former Mattel chief who also led Endemol. The Hollywood Reporter identified Ellison as chairman and CEO, while Deadline described both executives as co-CEOs. The transaction combines major entertainment franchises such as Harry Potter, Mission Impossible, Friends and Yellowstone, creating a company designed to rival Netflix and Disney in scale. Ellison’s Skydance closed an $8.4 billion purchase of Paramount one month ago.
Division leaders
Under the business leadership structure, Bloys becomes co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance DTC. He previously served as chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content. In his expanded position, Bloys adds Paramount+ and Pluto to his portfolio. His appointment follows the departure of Cindy Holland, who led Paramount+ as chair of direct-to-consumer before stepping down ahead of the closing. JB Perrette will serve as co-chair and chief business officer across both the DTC and TV divisions.
George Cheeks was named co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance TV, where he will oversee television studios and linear networks. Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein will serve as co-chairs of the Skydance Motion Picture Group. DC Studios remains under co-chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran.
News and corporate operations
In the news division, Mark Thompson will serve as chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN Worldwide, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that talks regarding a contract extension remain ongoing. Bari Weiss will lead CBS News as editor-in-chief.
The corporate leadership team includes Andy Gordon as president, Dennis Cinelli as chief financial officer, and Makan Delrahim as chief legal officer and president of global corporate affairs. Dane Glasgow will serve as chief product officer, Rebecca Mall as chief marketing officer, and Melissa Zukerman as chief communications officer. A complete executive list is scheduled for release shortly after the deal closes on Tuesday.
