The Sun Valley Conference could be responsible for another notable media deal.
This time, The New York Times reported on Friday that Skydance CEO David Ellison has had “early discussions” with The Free Press co-founder and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss about acquiring the digital media company; both Weiss and Ellison are currently attending the mogul-heavy conference in Idaho.
Allen & Company, the investment firm behind the conference, is a shareholder in The Free Press, the Times noted.
Representatives for The Free Press did not immediately respond to TheWrap, while Skydance reps declined to comment.
Weiss co-founded The Free Press with her wife, Nellie Bowles, in 2021 after both left The New York Times. The Free Press boasts that it publishes “investigative stories and provocative commentary,” primarily focused on politics and social issues; the New York City-based outlet also offers video content and podcasts.
Under Weiss’ stewardship, The Free Press has quickly grown into a formidable media company, with the outlet surpassing 136,000 paid subscribers by the end of 2024; a subscription costs $8 per month.
The Sun Valley Conference has historically played host to the wheelings and dealings in the media and tech industry, famously serving as the launchpad of deals such as Disney’s 1995 acquisition of ABC and Comcast’s $30 billion takeover of NBCUniversal in 2011. Jeff Bezos’ decision to buy The Washington Post in 2013 is also believed to have been influenced by conversations at the annual conference.
The New York Times also noted a Skydance-Free Press deal is “far from certain,” and pointed out that Ellison is currently working on closing Skydance’s merger with Paramount.
