Larry Ellison will control Paramount
September 6, 2024
Documents filed with the FCC show that Larry Ellison, father of Skydance’s David Ellison, will take over the controlling interest from Shari Redstone.
The document, obtained by The New York Times, lists Oracle founder Larry Ellison at the top of an organisational chart of the companies that will acquire the majority of Paramount’s voting interest from Redstone.
Part of an application to the Commission to transfer control of Paramount’s TV stations, the document lays out the web of companies that will acquire Redstone’s stake. Pinnacle Media, the Ellison family investment vehicle, will own 77.5 per cent of the voting interest. The rest will go to an entity affiliated with RedBird Capital Partners, backer of Skydance.
Skydance has previously said David Ellison, Paramount’s incoming chief executive, would have operational control of Paramount after the merger.
Larry Ellison, 80, has an estimated net worth of $155 billion. He has been a low-key player in Hollywood for years, having earlier supported Annapurna, his daughter Megan Ellison’s media company.
The deal for Paramount represents the transfer of control from one family dynasty to another. Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, inherited her stake from her father, Sumner, who built the company through a series of deals.