Senator Cory Booker invited David Ellison to testify at a Senate hearing on March 4.
The invitation follows Netflix's decision to withdraw its bid for Paramount Global.
The hearing was originally planned to address a potential deal between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ellison had previously committed to testifying if he acquired Warner Bros. Discovery.
📖 Full Retelling
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) formally invited Paramount Global CEO David Ellison to testify before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee in Washington, D.C. on March 4 to scrutinize the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), shortly after Netflix announced it would not match the $31 per share bid for the media company. This invitation serves as a direct response to the shifting landscape of media consolidation, following Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to designate Paramount’s offer as a "Company Superior Proposal," thereby altering the potential trajectory of the deal and necessitating fresh congressional oversight.
The upcoming hearing, originally scheduled by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), the ranking member of the subcommittee, was initially designed to focus on the implications of a potential transaction between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. Senator Lee has been a vocal critic of consolidation in the streaming sector, having previously called Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos to testify just last month. With Netflix’s withdrawal from the bidding war, the committee’s focus is expected to pivot toward the Ellison-led bid, raising significant questions about market power, asset consolidation, and the future of legacy media studios within the current regulatory framework.
According to a senior aide to Senator Booker, the invitation is intended to hold Ellison to a previous public commitment to appear before the panel if he were to move forward with acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery. Although the current structure of the deal involves Paramount, Booker’s office emphasizes that next week's session remains a timely and appropriate venue for the executive to address the competitive effects of the proposed alliance. As of this report, a spokesperson for Paramount Global has not issued an immediate response regarding whether Ellison will accept the invitation to testify.
🏷️ Themes
Antitrust, Media Mergers, Senate Judiciary, Corporate Strategy
A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings (a procedure unique to the United States Senate), legislative, oversight...
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. senator from New Jersey. He was the 38th mayor of New...
American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate (2019–2025)
Paramount Global, also known by its trade name as simply Paramount and formerly ViacomCBS, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan that was in operation from Dece...
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust law (or just antitrust), anti-monopoly law, and trade pr...
David Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an American media executive, film producer, and former actor, currently serving as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paramount Skydance since August 2025. He is the son of Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison, a centibillionaire.
He founded ...
Within minutes of Netflix announcing that it would not try to match the $31 per share Paramount offer, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was out with an invite to Paramount CEO David Ellison: Testify before an already planned Senate hearing next week. An aide to Booker, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, noted that Ellison had offered to appear were it to acquire WBD. “In light of today’s announcement that Warner Bros. Discovery has designated Paramount’s offer a Company Superior Proposal, next week’s hearing presents a timely and appropriate opportunity for Mr. Ellison to make good on that commitment,” Booker’s aide said. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), the chair of the committee, already had scheduled a hearing for March 4, but it would have been centered on the Netflix-WB transaction, a month after co-CEO Ted Sarandos testified before the panel. Lee was highly critical of the Netflix-WB deal. Watch on Deadline A Paramount spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More to come. Must Read Stories Hide Articles Chris Pine Circling Lead Opposite Emma Stone In Universal Rom-Com ‘The Catch’ Review; Premiere Protest; Melissa Barrera; Eighth Movie Planned 20th TV Lands YA Drama From ‘John Proctor’ Playwright; Showrunner Set HBO Max Hits 131.6M Subs As WBD Deal Drama Dominates Q4 Story Read More About: Comments Subscribe to Deadline Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy. Sign Up No Comments Cancel reply Submit a comment Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong. Comment Name Email Website Δ
