David Ellison: Paramount-WBD Merger Backlash Is “Not Really About” Antitrust — It’s About CNN

I’ve mentioned this numerous times, and I’ll say it again: the pushback against Paramount acquiring Warner Bros. is not about antitrust laws; rather, it’s purely political.

The Ellison family has been associated with support for Donald Trump, and CNN’s future ownership is a central element of the merger. Many opponents, particularly those on the political left, fear that David Ellison could steer the network in a more conservative editorial direction. Whether those concerns are justified or not, they have become a central part of the debate—even if few are willing to acknowledge it openly.

This brings me to this morning’s New York Times op-ed penned by David Ellison, in which he says the quiet part out loud: the legal backlash is “not really about market share.” In other words, Ellison argues that opposition to the deal is not being driven primarily by concerns over market competition, but by politics.

Ellison points out that the merger has been “reviewed and approved by regulators reflecting 65 countries, including the United States.” He characterized the objections as stemming from a “plainer worry” about whether he can be trusted to oversee CNN.

Ellison acknowledged that he cannot convince critics of his intentions simply by explaining his beliefs. “Unfortunately, I can’t give anyone a view into my heart and mind,” he wrote, while emphasizing that he has “regularly voted for candidates of both parties” and holds views that are both conservative and liberal.

Ellison also sought to reassure critics that CNN and CBS News would remain politically independent. “I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views,” he wrote, adding, “I believe that news should be based on facts and truth.” He argued that major news organizations must “tell it straight down the middle,” with newsrooms representing “the whole world, not one side of it,” and insisted that journalists will answer “to the facts and to all the people they serve – not to any party or cause.”

Do I believe him? Hard to say. But at least he’s finally addressing the elephant in the room: CNN. That conversation should have happened months ago, because pretending that CNN’s future editorial direction isn’t a major factor in the backlash surrounding this merger is simply unrealistic.

The essay comes as Ellison’s proposed WBD takeover faces a major legal challenge. A coalition of 12 states and the Writers Guilds has sued to block the merger on antitrust grounds, while a California judge has temporarily halted the deal. Paramount is seeking a November trial, while the states want April 2027, leaving the merger’s fate uncertain.