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The forthcoming combination of the parent companies of CBS Sports and TNT Sports now has a name: Skydance.
Paramount chair and CEO David Ellison said early Friday that he is implementing the name of his prior company for the forthcoming combination of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Together, we are Skydance, a creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling,” Ellison said in an extensive social-media post. We chose this name for a few important reasons. First and foremost, as we bring Paramount and Warner Bros. together, we wanted to preserve what has made each of these studios iconic. Both have distinct identities, extraordinary legacies and brands that have resonated with audiences for generations.
“We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight,” Ellison continued.
Skydance Media was the Ellison-led company that acquired Paramount last year, later becoming the Paramount Skydance Corp. With the shift, Paramount will also change its stock ticker from PSKY to SKYD, and trade on the New York Stock Exchange instead of Nasdaq.
Deal Flow
Ellison’s comments arrived as Paramount is aiming to complete the $110 billion WBD deal on Oct. 6.
That closing will bring a quick end to a drawn-out corporate saga that saw 12 states challenge the merger on antitrust grounds, but then settle in a deal that involves no resale of WBD assets.
The combination of CBS Sports and TNT Sports, meanwhile, will have far-reaching effects. The combined holdings have touchpoints in nearly every major pro and college sports entity in the U.S., with the notable exception of the NBA.
During the recent period of uncertainty, both CBS Sports and TNT Sports had continued on their separate paths. CBS Sports has big expectations for the upcoming NFL season after a banner 2025 that included an across-the-board run as the league’s most-watched rights holder.
TNT Sports, meanwhile, remains in its period of reinvention without its previously held NBA live rights, and a recent WBD earnings report showed a sizable drop in ad sales without the league.
Ellison has also appointed a co-CEO for Skydance, former Mattel CEO Ynon Kriez. In his current role, Ellison said he will lead strategy, creative, and technology functions, while Kriez will lead day-to-day operations and the integration of the combined Paramount and WBD assets.
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