Ellison’s Paramount seen as front-runner for Warner Bros deal

DAVID ELLISON'S PARAMOUNT Skydance is seen as the top contender to buy Warner Bros Discovery(WBD), with analysts and experts saying the tech scion’s access to deep pockets and Washington ties give him an edge in what could be the media industry’s biggest merger in years.

- ZAHEER KACHWALA, HARSHITA MARY VARGHESE AND ADITYA SONI

Fresh off the Paramount-Skydance deal in August, the newly minted media mogul is eyeing one of Hollywood’s prized assets that is home to HBO, Warner Bros Studio and a streaming unit with more than 120 million subscribers. His $60 billion approach was rejected by Warner Bros Discovery on Tuesday, Reuters first reported. But the company has put a for-sale sign and attracted other potential suitors including Comcast, Netflix and Apple, as per reports.