RedBird Capital Partners has pumped another $4 bn into the Skydance‑Paramount merger.
New Funding Boosts Skydance‑Paramount Venture
The fresh equity round lifts RedBird’s total contribution to $6 bn, a sum that underpins the combined Skydance entity now called Skydance. In a statement announcing the merger’s close, RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale said the deal will "build a stronger Hollywood" in a "media landscape that’s undergoing transformation change."
"Skydance will build a stronger Hollywood in a media landscape that’s undergoing transformation change," said Gerry Cardinale.
— Gerry Cardinale, Founder, RedBird Capital Partners
David Ellison’s Paramount completed a $110 bn takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, merging two legacy studios, a suite of TV networks, streaming services and news outlets into a single entertainment powerhouse. The new structure aims to compete with top‑tier studios and tech giants alike.
Investor Line‑up Expands Across the Gulf
The original financing package of roughly $47 bn came from Oracle scion Larry Ellison and RedBird, but the pool later broadened to include sovereign investors such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Their participation signals strong Gulf interest in the evolving media landscape.
RedBird’s relationship with Ellison dates back to 2019, when the firm first placed $275 million into Skydance. That early commitment grew into a $2 bn stake, which Cardinale described as the largest private‑equity investment ever made in a Hollywood studio.
RedBird’s Growing Media Footprint
Beyond the Skydance deal, RedBird remains active across media, entertainment and sport. Its portfolio includes backing for Artists Equity, Banijay, Mari, EverPass Media, Front Office Sports, Puck and the United Football League, among others. The additional $4 bn financing reinforces RedBird as one of two key investors – alongside the Ellison family – controlling Paramount’s voting stock.
Ellison and co‑CEO Ynon Kreiz now face the task of reducing more than $80 bn in debt generated by the merger. With RedBird’s fresh capital, the new Skydance group is positioned to navigate that financial challenge while expanding its content reach.