Los Angeles, CA – The rapidly finalizing deal between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed a broader power dynamic, bringing into sharp focus the increasing convergence of media and technology and raising concerns about concentrated control over information. While the merger’s impact on Hollywood and the streaming landscape is widely discussed, a key figure behind the deal – Larry Ellison – also holds significant influence over TikTok in the United States.
David Ellison, CEO of Paramount/Skydance, stands to control CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and the Paramount+ streaming service, in addition to gaining ownership of HBO Max, HBO, CNN, and Discovery through the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. His father, Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle, provided $40 billion to facilitate his son’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to reports. This financial backing underscores the central role of Oracle in reshaping the US media landscape.
Larry Ellison’s involvement extends beyond financial support. In 2024, as the US debated a potential ban of TikTok, Oracle, in partnership with Silver Lake and MGX, a state-backed investment firm of the United Arab Emirates, secured control of TikTok’s US operations. The consortium now owns 45% of TikTok US, with the Chinese parent company ByteDance retaining only 20% and other investors holding the remaining 35%. This arrangement places Oracle in a position of responsibility for data privacy and content moderation within the US version of the platform.
This dual control – David Ellison poised to lead a media conglomerate encompassing film, television, and news, and Larry Ellison wielding influence over a dominant social media platform – has prompted scrutiny from lawmakers. Senator Chris Murphy stated that, “When Democrats win back power we are going to break up these anti-democratic information conglomerates,” adding, “All of them.”
The potential for influence over content is a central concern. Alvaro Bedoya, a former commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, warned that the Ellison family could leverage their control over media properties to engage in censorship, citing the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s program and the refusal to air an interview with a Democratic Senate candidate as examples.
The merger’s implications extend beyond the US. While Larry Ellison’s Oracle does not currently control TikTok in Europe, the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery could provide a lever to expand Oracle’s influence over the TikTok infrastructure globally. The possibility of Paramount-exclusive content being withheld from TikTok EU unless it runs through Oracle systems has been raised, though the likelihood of such action remains unclear.
The Warner Bros. Discovery leadership and control committee is scheduled to vote on the deal on March 20th, with approval widely anticipated. The deal is also under review by the California Attorney General to determine its legality.
