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Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will operate as Skydance once their merger closes, Paramount CEO David Ellison announced Friday<\/a>. Skydance is the name of Ellison\u2019s original film production company.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cThe Lord of the Rings,\u201d \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d the DC Universe, and \u201cYellowstone.\u201d<\/p>\n The merger<\/a> followed a drawn-out corporate battle. Netflix had agreed to acquire Warner Bros.\u2019 streaming and studio businesses before the broader Paramount deal moved forward. Twelve states<\/a> challenged the deal, arguing it could reduce competition and harm consumers and workers, but a judge approved<\/a> a settlement with the state attorneys general this week.<\/p>\n Ellison said the Paramount and Warner Bros. brands will remain central. \u201cWe never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one,\u201d he wrote on X. The new name, he said, gives the company \u201can identity of its own\u201d while letting both studios \u201cremain in the spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n