Latest news with #Skydance-Paramount
New York Post
11-08-2025
- Business
- New York Post
UFC rights go to Paramount in stunning $7.7 billion deal
Say goodbye to pay-per-view. Paramount is purchasing the rights to UFC in a landmark $7.7 billion deal over seven years beginning in 2026, the companies announced in a statement Monday, in a move that will eliminate the pay-per-view model. All of the UFC's events will now be accessible with only a Paramount+ subscription, and select numbered events will also air on CBS. 'This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes,' UFC president Dana White said in a statement. 'For the first time ever, fans in the U.S. will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model, making it more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform. This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.' Getty Images ESPN, UFC's current rightsholder, has been using a pay-per-view model, which TKO Group president Mark Shapiro called 'a thing of the past.' ESPN and Disney owned UFC's rights for the last five years while paying an average of $500 million per year. The deal with Disney expires at the end of this year. With the Skydance-Paramount deal closing this past Thursday, TKO Group — which owns the UFC and WWE — was able to come to an agreement rather quickly, according to CEO David Ellison, who spoke to the Financial Times. Getty Images Paramount and CBS have had a longstanding relationship with the NFL, and this deal should continue to bring mixed martial arts to the forefront of sports programming. 'When you look at the incredible portfolio of sports that Paramount has with the NFL, Uefa, Masters and March Madness, there really was a lull in the summer, and now with the UFC, we really do have a very strong year-long sports offering on both Paramount+ and CBS,' Ellison told the Financial Times. CBS will air the Super Bowl in 2028, when they will be in year two of their deal with the UFC. There was talk earlier this year of UFC potentially linking up with Netflix, not to mention a possible ESPN renewal. In addition to the U.S. rights of UFC, Paramount is said to be 'interested in buying UFC's international rights,' according to CNBC. The UFC deal comes days after WWE landed a five-year, $1.6 billion deal with ESPN to have their premium live events streamed on their new direct-to-consumer app.
New York Post
25-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Trump Tech Love Fest, Sliwa's Rise, and Colbert Out
Lydia Moynihan and Charles Gasparino unpack the growing alignment between Silicon Valley and Donald Trump, sparked by his recent AI-focused speech and open embrace of tech leaders. They also dive into the surprising viability of Curtis Sliwa in New York City's mayoral race, fueled by anti-establishment sentiment, business-friendly messaging, and a savvy social media presence. Rounding out the conversation, they explore looming media shakeups, including Colbert's ousting and the implications of a pro-MAGA Skydance-Paramount deal under Trump-friendly regulators.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert Mock Trump for Complaining on Juneteenth About ‘Too Many Non-Working Holidays': ‘Juneteenth Is a Day of Joy — So Donald Trump Doesn't Like It'
President Trump did not issue any direct public comments about or host any events commemorating Juneteenth, the federal holiday that marks the official end of the United States' enslavement of people. But the president alluded to Juneteenth in a post on social media, claiming that there are 'Too many non-working holidays in America' and that 'It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Late-night TV hosts skewered Trump's non-observance of the holiday. More from Variety Trump Is 'Flouting the Law' in Delaying Enforcement of TikTok Ban, a Top Senate Democrat Says Trump Says David Ellison Is 'Great, He'll Do a Great Job' Running Merged Skydance-Paramount, as FCC Deal Approval Is Still Pending Mark Ruffalo Slams 'Grifter' Trump and Says 'Billionaires Are the Problem, Not Immigrants': They're 'Stealing You Blind' While 'Immigrants Add to the Economy' 'You might find this hard to believe, from a president who's done more for Blacks than Abraham Lincoln, but Trump is not a fan' of Juneteenth, Jimmy Kimmel said on his ABC show — referring to a comment Trump actually once made. Said Kimmel, 'If Trump were to acknowledge Juneteenth, he would risk upsetting his not-at-all-racist-and-how-dare-you-say-we-are base. They're like, 'We're the ones who stopped enslaving — they should have a holiday for us!'' About his comment about the U.S. having 'too many non-working holidays,' Kimmel commented: 'Says the guy who just had a birthday parade for himself. Says the guy who has been in office for 150 days and has golfed 37 times that we know of.' 'I don't know, to me, it seems like a holiday that celebrates the end of slavery is one we should all be for,' Kimmel remarked. Stephen Colbert opened 'The Late Show' on CBS by wishing his audience a happy Juneteenth. 'It's a great day, a day to celebrate freedom,' he said. Colbert continued, 'Juneteenth is a day of joy — so Donald Trump doesn't like it.' Colbert pointed out that on Trump's first day back in the White House, Jan. 20, the president signed an executive order requiring the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. In response, the Defense Intelligence Agency ordered a pause of all activities and events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and other 'special observances' to comply with the anti-DEI direction, NBC News reported. 'So [Trump] wants celebrating Juneteenth to be controversial now,' Colbert said. But, he said, 'You cannot stop people from celebrating freedom. You can't make them turn down their joy,' before playing a clip of DJ Snake and Lil John's 'Turn Down for What.' On Thursday, Trump posted a complaint on Truth Social about there being 'Too many non-working holidays in America.' 'Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don't want it either!' Trump wrote. 'Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' At a White House press briefing Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if Trump was commemorating Juneteenth in any way. 'I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today,' Leavitt said. 'I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24-7 right now.' President Biden in 2021 signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, establishing a federal holiday on the date. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom from slavery in the state of Texas, nearly two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
New York Post
13-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
How to read the tea leaves on stalled $8B Paramount-Skydance deal
Everyone is reading the tea leaves these days on the seemingly forever stalled $8 billion Skydance-Paramount deal. The Wall Street fortune tellers keep looking for clues as to whether Paramount heiress Shari Redstone will pay President Trump what he wants to settle a $20 billion lawsuit against its CBS subsidiary? And if she does, will that be enough to get the deal approved by his broadcast regulators. Advertisement The Wall Street fortune tellers keep speculating as to whether Shari Redstone will pay Trump what he wants to settle a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS. Jack Forbes / NY Post Design On The Money exists at least in part to cut through the malarkey – and tell you that the latest tea leaves being closely examined are (as a certain great playwright once said) full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. One of those tea leaves led to the suggestion that Paramount laid off people earlier this week, a pretty steep 3% of its current workforce, because it's planning that the deal will not go through. Layoffs of such a magnitude usually occur not when two parties are about to merge, but long before, or when there is no deal in the works. The thinking is that current management is resizing the business because they plan on operating Paramount for the foreseeable future. Advertisement As On The Money was first to report, Paramount's top brass – aside from Redstone (she's recused herself because of the potential payday) – is wary of the optics of paying off Trump so Shari can walk away with what's left of the nest egg left to her by her father, the late merger impresario Sumner Redstone. They fear it could open the company to bribery charges by settling the frivolous lawsuit – alleging '60 Minutes' deceptively edited an interview with Kamala Harris in the heat of the campaign (Trump won the election so there's no damages) – that their directors and officers insurance doesn't cover if some prosecutor brought a case. All true, but the layoffs had little to do with the future of the deal, one way or the other, people close the transaction told On The Money. Advertisement Paramount fears it could open the company to bribery charges by settling the frivolous lawsuit – alleging '60 Minutes' deceptively edited an interview with Kamala Harris in the heat of the campaign. 60 Minutes / CBS SkyDance had planned to own Paramount by now, and was planning the exact same cuts to make the numbers work before it can invest and grow the business, sources said. With the deal in limbo, Paramount just did it first so cross that tea leaf off your list. The second tea leaf is a little more interesting, though I am told, just as inconsequential to the deal's outcome. Advertisement It involves the appearance of Skydance boss David Ellison ringside at a UFC 314 fight in Miami several weeks ago with Trump, who was shaking hands and schmoozing with the likes of Joe Rogan and Shaquille O'Neal. The tea-leaf-reading talk here speculated that the deal is back on – Trump can't wait to approve it as a favor to David's dad, and Trump bestie, Larry Ellison. Why would Trump be seen with Larry's kid if he were about to screw him? Except, guess who else was ringside as Trump made his way through the crowd? Elon Musk, yes that Elon who had just called Trump some really nasty names. So nasty that earlier this week, Elon issued a semi-apology. He was sitting with his son, not far from the younger Ellison and Trump. So cross that one off as well, deal watchers tell me. For now, those looking for clues on how this stalemate ends will have to turn over a new tea leaf.
CNBC
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNBC
Barry Diller on media landscape: Netflix won more than five years ago
Barry Diller, IAC and Expedia chairman and senior executive and 'Who Knew' author, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the writing of his new memoir, state of media, Skydance-Paramount deal, streaming landscape and future of media, and more.
