David Ellison insists that a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will actually benefit Hollywood, promising to save jobs in a Thursday letter to California lawmakers Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman.
“I firmly believe that uniting Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery presents a unique opportunity to build a true champion for the creative community, one that can and will bring more stories to life, support filmmakers and talent with real scale, and compete effectively on the global stage as an independent media leader,” Ellison wrote. “That is the true legacy of Hollywood, and my promise to you is to build a stronger Hollywood, by keeping both of these legacy studios operating separately, thereby preserving and potentially increasing jobs.”
“The Los Angeles area provides some of the most talented and well-trained film and television workers in the world, and it is my expectation that the commitments I have made will preserve and expand good-paying film and television jobs in the area,” he added. “America already has the world’s leading entertainment workforce and world-class production facilities. It now just needs a federal film tax incentive to close the competitive gap with the rest of the world, and again attract the biggest film and TV projects, activate its highly skilled workforce, and utilize its infrastructure.”
Ellison’s letter comes nearly a month after the board approved the $110 billion merger, replacing Netflix in the process. Paramount and WBD had committed to produce a minimum of 15 theatrically released films per year each, with every movie receiving a minimum 45-day window globally before hitting paid video-on-demand (VOD). More successful releases could see 60-90 days before being made available on streaming.
His message also reiterated plans to preserve HBO while also continuing to license content, which “means there will be additional opportunities available for creative talent in Los Angeles.”
In response, Rep. Friedman told The Hollywood Reporter she’s asked for more “concrete commitments” rather than mere promises. “Those are measurable, and I intend to measure them,” she noted. “The thousands of workers on our sound stages and backlots need to see these promises show up in our lives, not just in a letter.”
The companies are targeting a shareholder vote for early spring and have said they expect the deal to close in the third quarter of 2026, or by Sept. 30, pending necessary approvals.
