Warner Bros and Paramount Merge to become the Skydance Empire
Even though I knew that it was coming, and I expected nothing, I’m still disappointed by the results. Warner Bros and Paramount, two of the companies that helped build my childhood, are no longer separate kingdoms. In its place, we now have the titanic and potentially dangerous Skydance Empire.
THE UNHOLY FUSION
As I have extensively covered here on The Game of Nerds, the last few years have been tough on Warner Bros. Ever since they merged with Discovery and got new leadership under ZASLAV, they have been hemorrhaging money. They got so desperate to recoup their losses that they resorted to shelving projects that people put a lot of time into. All that did, though, was make them lose a lot of goodwill with the public and made Zaslav hated. Thus, it should’ve come as no surprise when we heard earlier this year that Paramount was in talks to buy Warner Bros.
For the record, this sort of thing is a natural part of any system that focuses on gathering wealth and power. Competing to survive and gain customers is how capitalism works, whether we like it or not. The problem is that Paramount and Warner Bros aren’t just any companies. They have been two of the titans of the entertainment industry since the birth of filmmaking. Their libraries contain some of the most successful movies, shows, and characters ever created. And as much as I love what they have to offer me, I already knew that the two of them merging wasn’t a good thing. In fact, it’s downright disastrous for everyone who likes to see or make quality entertainment.
Skydance is bad for everyone!
As I mentioned in my article about this back in March, capitalism needs healthy competition to thrive. When one entity gains too much control over an industry, they don’t have to worry as much about making a bad product since they know customers can’t go someplace else. Keep in mind, this isn’t your average corporate merger. Warner Bros and Paramount have been around for more than a century, since the dawn of the film industry itself.
They have been a consistent part of the five major powers that create most of the things we enjoy for entertainment. With this merger and subsequent rebranding as ‘Skydance,’ a huge chunk of the competition in Hollywood is now gone. That means there are fewer places for people to work at, and the jobs many people have are about to become redundant. A lot of talented people are going to end up being driven out of the industry, possibly forever.
Are Nick and Cartoon Network’s Days Numbered?
The worst part, though, is what this means for Warner and Paramount’s cartoons. I grew up watching the shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, and I appreciated what they both had to offer. But now that they’re owned by the same company, what’s to stop Skydance from fusing the two of them together? That might sound cool, but considering just how many shows they each have, do you really think Skydance will be willing to give them each the resources they need? For all we know, Skydance could end up dropping the names ‘Nicklodeon’ and ‘Cartoon Network’ forever! I feel sick just thinking about that!
I have no idea what’s going to happen next or even if Skydance’s new empire will be able to hold itself together. All I know is that before things settle down, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs, while many shows and movies we love face the chopping block. The one consolation to all of this is the fact that David Zaslav is gone for good. I know I shouldn’t be biased about this stuff, but I think I’ve made my opinion about Zaslav rather obvious. I hope he is best remembered as the guy who tried to kill Coyote vs ACME only for it to blow up in his face. Considering how Warner Bros lost its independence under his leadership, it’s what he deserves.
Discover more from The Game of Nerds
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
