When the bidding battle for Warner Bros. Discovery kicked off this week, very few expected CNN to become an asset dominating the conversation. But here we are — and according to industry insiders speaking with the New York Post, Paramount Skydance is suddenly the frontrunner to acquire WB, and CNN is the surprising reason why.
At first glance, that seems counterintuitive. CNN’s ratings have cratered for years, its reputation has declined sharply among half the country, and most Americans interact with it only in airport terminals. Yet the Ellison family — Larry and David — reportedly sees the struggling network as a business worth not only keeping but expanding.
A screenshot from CNN – YouTube, CNN
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“They see CNN, warts and all, as a very profitable business worth saving,” The New York Post said.
That one sentence, from Charles Gasparino’s reporting, captures the core dynamic driving the deal. Paramount Skydance is the only bidder that actually wants CNN. And in the current political environment, that gives them a tremendous regulatory advantage.
CNN Becomes a Political Chess Piece
According to the report, President Trump is paying very close attention to the sale due to CNN’s long, antagonistic relationship with his administration.
Trump “desperately wants CNN… ‘neutralized’ out of its anti-MAGA coverage,” a broadcast executive told the Post.
A CNN Report on President Trump – YouTube, CNN
And Trump reportedly sees Larry Ellison — a major donor and someone already overseeing a media overhaul at CBS — as the ideal person to “set CNN straight.”
His thinking, according to the Post, is that the Ellisons would run CNN the same way they are currently reshaping CBS under Bari Weiss, who was hired to “squeeze left-wing bias out of its news programming.”
Bari Weiss addresses The Free Press working with Paramount – YouTube, The Free Press
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Sources told the Post that if Paramount Skydance wins the deal, Weiss’s portfolio “is expected to expand to also include oversight of CNN’s editorial.”
That alone changes the regulatory landscape.
Comcast and Netflix Face the ‘Gauntlet’
While Paramount Skydance glides toward approval, other suitors face harsher scrutiny.
“The Ellisons will get the white-glove treatment and an easy six months before approval,” one telecom lawyer told the Post.
Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters in an interview with Bloomberg – YouTube, Bloomberg Live
Contrasting that with the other major bidders, that same lawyer said, “Brian Roberts gets a proctology exam that could last two years. Same with Netflix. The Warner board might just say it’s not worth the wait.”
In other words, the White House’s stance toward big tech donors and long-standing media adversaries is creating vastly different timelines for regulatory review. That timing gap alone could lock Paramount in as the favorite.
Why Paramount and CNN Make Financial Sense
It isn’t just politics. Paramount Skydance sees cash on the table.
People close to the Ellisons point to CNN’s global reach — reporters everywhere, a presence “in every airport… and every hotel.”
David Ellison in an interview with Bloomberg – YouTube, Bloomberg Podcasts
Despite low ratings, CNN still produces “an estimated $500 million in yearly profits.”
Paramount believes integrating CNN with CBS News, merging infrastructure, and accelerating digital migration could unlock significant savings and open new strategic lanes.
And the Ellisons can afford it — easily.
Zaslav Wants a “Number That Starts With 3”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has insisted he wants a deal that “starts with a 3” — meaning $30 a share, or roughly $70 billion.
But insiders doubt he’ll get it.
WBD CEO David Zaslav Speaks at a New York Times event – YouTube, New York Times Events
Comcast, Netflix, and other bidders are only interested in pieces of WBD, not the whole company. CNN complicates their offers, not strengthens them.
And selling WBD in segments risks “tax leakage,” further lowering valuation.
The Ellisons, meanwhile, reportedly believe they can secure the entire company for around $27 a share — a figure far more realistic given the regulatory dynamics.
Political Baggage Everywhere Except Paramount
Comcast’s ownership of MSNBC is viewed as an antitrust complication, and its leadership has spent years antagonizing the current administration to the point that regulators may be eager to push back.
The Logo for Netflix – Netflix
Netflix’s leadership has donated heavily to progressive causes, creating political headwinds of its own.
But Paramount owning CNN? That’s a package Trump seems comfortable blessing.
Paramount Could Reshape the Media Landscape With CNN
If Paramount Skydance ultimately wins, it would represent one of the most transformative media deals since Disney bought Fox. But unlike that acquisition, this one is emerging as much from political reality as financial strategy.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison being interviewed – YouTube, CNBC Television
CNN is no longer just a cable network. It’s the pivot point of a multibillion-dollar corporate battle.
And in the strangest twist imaginable, CNN despite all of its problems might be exactly what gives Paramount Skydance the edge.
How do you feel about Paramount reshaping CNN? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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I take back everything positive I ever said about the Ellisons. They want to *reform* CNN? The network is so synonymous with liberal bias and TDS it would take firing 99% of the staff to even begin such a feat. Not to mention attracting back viewers to one of the least-watched networks around. Greg Gutfeld gets more views than anything on CNN and people have to *pay* to see it because it’s on a premium channel. That’s how bad they are: they can even give away what they’re trying to sell.
It’s obvious why they want it given their overhaul at CBS News by putting Bari Weiss in charge. Despite what people on the right generally think about CNN, it’s still a recognized name and the original cable news network. That name recognition will be extremely useful in the Ellison’s Zionist propaganda, and that’s all they’ll need to attract the “our greatest ally” boomertards to watch.
It truly could be a rejuvenated news source, so long as they clean house, clinically.
Huh?? Prize? Isn’t that like winning 6th runner up in the Miss Congeniality section?
Dead eyes.
Regardless, all this is conjecture. I can’t imagine a film coming out in the next half-decade, that I’d consider opening my wallet for.
Buy it, dead eyes.
Who cares.