Imagine the subsequent episodes of your favorite childhood show are now created by AI. The jokes might feel off, the dialogue too perfect, and the characters’ faces, waxy smooth, like they’ve been overly polished with Facetune. That future might not be far off.

This month, Paramount, the Hollywood giant that owns Nickelodeon, MTV, CBT, and the streaming service Paramount+, merged with Skydance, the studio behind blockbusters like Top Gun, and Mission Impossible movies. The $8 billion merger was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

It could change the movies we watch and how they’re made.

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Meet The New Power Players

If you’ve seen the mountain logo before a movie, you’ve seen Paramount in action. It’s home to Nickelodeon cartoons, MTV reality shows, CBS news, and a massive streaming platform. Skydance is a more juvenile but powerful studio that has made some of the biggest action hits of the last decade.

Now, thanks to this merger, Skydance’s founder, David Ellison, has become the new head of Paramount. His father, Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump supporter, one of the richest men in the world, and chief technology officer of Oracle, helped bankroll the deal through his company Pinnacle Media. After the merger, the elder Ellison controlled nearly 77.5% of National Amusements, Paramount’s holding company. In short, the Ellison family just took the mic in American culture.

Image Credit: Oracle PR from Wikimedia Commons

Take the Quiz: If you were a Never Have I Ever character, which one would you be?

Are you Crazy Devi, robotics queen Fabiola Torres, or maybe popular jock Paxton?

How It Got Approved

As we all know, a merger of this magnitude usually faces heavy government scrutiny because they can reduce competition. In fact, until recently, Paramount wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with President Donald Trump. Back in October 2024, President Trump sued Paramount after the show 60 Minutes, produced by CBS News, aired an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. He claimed the interview was edited to portray Harris in a favorable light and himself in a negative one.

Last month, Paramount announced that it had reached a $16 million settlement with President Trump. The money would be used for Mr. Trump’s future presidential library and to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees and costs. And just a few days later, the FCC approved the Paramount–Skydance merger in a 2–1 vote.

Soon after,the producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, resigned. He said that it had “become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it.” Two weeks after the settlement, Stephen Colbert, host of the famous political satire show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, called the $16 million “a big fat bribe.” However, days later, CBS News, the owner of the show, announced that the show would be canceled by May 2026.

George Cheeks, CEO of CBS News, stated during a press conference that the show was canceled because it was losing too much money. While the show was one of the most popular shows in the country, Cheeks refused to say how much The Late Show was losing.

Whether or not those connections are a coincidence, the timing raised eyebrows. Does this deal signal that politics could influence future movies and shows?

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What’s About to Change?

On the surface, franchise. The blockbuster history of Skydance (Top Gun, Mission: Impossible) combined with Paramount’s existing intellectual property (SpongeBob, Transformers, Star Trek) can bring us more “big loud movies.” After the merger, we can also see a full production line. One filled with giant sequels, spinoffs, and cinematic universes that could dominate theaters and streaming. Additionally, more movies produced by Skydance, which stream through Paramount, are exclusive.

Second, technology. David Ellison said that Paramount will become a “tech-media hybrid.” With his father’s technology, Oracle-style cloud computing could change how movies are made. Movies could be produced faster and cheaper, with AI helping to write scripts, edit scenes, and generate special effects.

Beyond the surface, politics. Even before the merger was announced, people were already worried about CBS losing its editorial independence and being pressured in how it reports news. Some journalists at the network were frustrated by changes to a show that’s been on air every week for nearly 57 years. With more attention from Paramount in terms of editorial stance, diversity programs may be cut to satisfy political critics.

Here’s a video sample of how AI can create videos that look just like us. Even though now there is still a little fake you can see. But that discrepancy might not be there for long.

Conclusion

As a family, the Ellisons are gaining significant control over the movie and TV show industry that carries some of the most iconic names, characters, and stories in American media. From the $16 million settlement to the fast-tracked merger approval, political influence has already played a role in arranging what this deal entails. We might see more AI-written scripts, but also newsrooms under pressure.

On the other hand, a larger company with more advanced technology could also give audiences a better viewing experience. The future paths of the company are unknown, but the thing is clear: whatever stories it chooses to tell will shape what we watch for years to come.