Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Closes as Cheeks Sets Out TV Leadership

The deal is done. The merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery has officially closed, putting two rival studio and channel portfolios under one roof.

Variety reported the close on 6 October 2026. A U.S. judge had entered an order allowing Paramount Skydance to close the acquisition, according to Reuters on 2 October.

George Cheeks sent a memo to TV staffers across studios and networks after the close. Cheeks was appointed Skydance TV co-chair and chief content officer, meaning he leads creative decisions across television.

He shares the top television job with JB Perrette. Perrette serves as co-chair alongside Cheeks, as well as chief business officer, meaning he leads the commercial and operational side.

Three divisional bosses report to Cheeks. Channing Dungey leads the Warner Bros. TV Group and U.S. networks as chairman and CEO. David Stapf leads CBS Studios as president. Matt Thunell leads Paramount TV Studios as head.

The structure sits inside a newly formed Television division. That division combines Paramount and Warner Bros. studios, networks and sports, according to a company announcement from David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz published on 6 October, carried by Paramount.

Cheeks is a familiar face to Paramount staff. He was previously one of three co-CEOs of Paramount Global, previously known as ViacomCBS, and was the only one of the three to transition to the new company.

In his memo, Cheeks said CBS remains a cornerstone underpinning a multiplatform strategy to deliver entertainment, news and sports. That language keeps the broadcast network at the centre of an organisation built around streaming, cable and broadcast.

The close followed a tight timetable. In September 2026, Ellison told staff he intended to close the Warner Bros. Discovery deal in about two weeks, the New York Times reported on 21 September. As of October 2026, Ellison was chairman and CEO of Paramount, Reuters reported on 5 October. Ellison founded Skydance Media in 2010.

For viewers, this means one leadership team now controls commissioning, renewals and scheduling across CBS, Warner Bros. TV, Paramount TV Studios and the U.S. networks. A crew of two hundred still makes each show. Only now the decision on whether that story gets finished sits in a smaller room.