Paramount Global 'A'

Following its $110bn takeover of Paramount and Warner Bros, Skydance faces more than $80bn of debt and is targeting $6bn in savings within three years, prompting plans for asset sales and restructures that could include job cuts. Executives aim to protect creative units like HBO while assessing the fate of declining cable channels and regional assets such as Channel 5. The takeover has raised concerns over editorial independence given David Ellison’s political ties and a reported $1bn investment from Elon Musk. Skydance also pledged heavy content spending and a short-term output boost of films until 2031, but analysts expect production to fall afterwards. » More on theguardian.com

Early critic reviews give Paramount's Street Fighter a disastrous 34% on Rotten Tomatoes, among the lowest for recent video-game adaptations. Critics fault the film for an abrupt ending and heavy focus on setting up a sequel rather than delivering a self-contained story. With a reported $80 million budget, the film's box-office prospects will depend on audience response and an expected $25–30 million opening weekend to match comparable franchise entries. » More on forbes.com

Skydance, led by co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, finalized its acquisition of Warner Bros. and now combines Paramount and Warner Bros. studios, CBS, a large pay-TV portfolio and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max. Ellison said the merged company reaches scale with over 200 million global streaming subscribers and a strong content and sports slate, while Kreiz will focus on integration and day-to-day operations. Skydance faces about $80 billion in debt, aims for $6 billion in cost savings over three years and plans to merge streaming platforms, maintain independent newsrooms for CBS and CNN, and meet film-release commitments from a regulatory settlement. » More on cnbc.com