• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Ellison’s New CBS Headache & Venu’s Political War

Unexpected legal developments, each with a uniquely political twist, have emerged in David Ellison’s deal to take over CBS, as part of his $8.4 billion Paramount acquisition, and Fox, Disney, and WBD’s struggle to launch their sports streamer, Venu.

david ellison
The fate of the Paramount deal is in the hands of five politically appointed F.C.C. commissioners—a perfect setup for some Washington drama. Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for ASCAP
Eriq Gardner
October 22, 2024

A few days back, Donald Trump uncorked yet another tirade at CBS for its editorial scissor work on Kamala Harris’s 60 Minutes interview. The former president absurdly suggested yanking CBS’s broadcast license—an idea that absolutely no one with a clear head believes is in the cards. But this is the same Trump who, during his 2016 roadshow, regularly lobbed grenades at CNN, a prelude to his D.O.J.’s failed crusade against its parentco Time Warner’s acquisition by AT&T. Now, as Skydance Media aims to bag Paramount for around $8 billion, the transfer of CBS station licenses is under review. Is there potential for tomfoolery? Perhaps, although I doubt David Ellison is losing sleep over the possibility that his hard-fought deal becomes a casualty of Trump’s latest grudge.