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Wide Shot: The effect of Skydance on Hollywood

October 13, 2026 | View in browser

Collage featuring a smiling man, with dark hair, in a dark suit and the word Skydance behind him, on a dark background

(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; Getty Images)

By Samantha Masunaga

Staff Writer

David Ellison made a bold pronouncement last week when he told reporters that the new Skydance — that is, the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery — would spend more on content and storytelling than any other company in the world.

The new behemoth will produce at least 30 films a year, required by a settlement with 12 state attorneys general over antitrust claims, as well as nearly 190 TV shows between the two studios. In total, the company has said it would spend at least $30 billion a year on film, TV and video game content.

During a news conference last week, Ellison described Skydance as a company that “can now compete with anybody in the industry.”

“When you look at what these assets are together, I genuinely believe it is the most powerful general entertainment library in the world,” he said. “We can go toe to toe with anybody in streaming. We have the capability to transform this business into the most technologically capable media company, to be the No. 1 destination for talent and to be able to operate efficiently. And we do believe that we’re in a position where we can lead in the industry.”

Just about a week into this merger, there are still a lot of questions about what, exactly, this is going to mean for the industry. A lot will play out in the months ahead, but in speaking with industry analysts, a few major points have emerged.

First, to address the elephant in the room — the new company’s debt load.

Many of the possible scenarios from this merger are going to depend on how Skydance manages the $80 billion-plus debt it now carries. The company has already said it will make $6 billion in cost cuts over three years, and Ellison said last week that those “synergies” will not “primarily” come from labor, but instead from tech, procurement and “real estate optimalization.”

One thing the company can’t cut is content spending. Movies and TV shows are going to be crucial for its streaming businesses, which will eventually merge together. Moreover, Ellison must prove to his skeptics that he’s serious about his production commitments, something he acknowledged last week, saying it was a “turbulent road” to get the merger finalized.

If Skydance increases spending on content, that could push its competitors to also invest more, Laurent Yoon, senior analyst at the research and brokerage firm Bernstein, told me.

“We are anticipating another round of increasing spend on content, whether that comes in the form of short-form micro-dramas or movies,” he said. “Each company will have their own strategies. All that requires investments.”

What the company spends on is still an open question. Ellison’s companies have traditionally leaned toward blockbuster fare, though he said last week that Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was his favorite movie last year, and that originals would be part of the combined company’s film lineups, along with franchise development.

But with such a heavy debt load, the company might want to focus most of its firepower on sure bets, said Brent Penter, research analyst at the financial services firm Raymond James.

“I think you see them leaning more into those tentpoles and less into more experimental or riskier or unknown IP,” he told me. “I think they focus on the really high-value stuff.”

It’s probably too soon to tell whether that could mean those kinds of riskier projects look elsewhere for distribution or development opportunities. In the last few years, Warner Bros. took several bets on original, auteur-driven fare, with some successes (Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” and “Sinners”) and notable misses (“Digger,” “The Bride!”).

But the sheer volume of franchises that Skydance now controls — including “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings,” as well as “Transformers,” “Spongebob” and “Star Trek” — could mean other studios look to bulk up their own intellectual property to build scale, Penter said.

Sports rights are another area of interest. Ellison knows the value of sports rights; after all, one of his first announced deals after he bought Paramount was a $7.7-billion deal for UFC streaming and TV rights. That’s probably still part of the equation to stay competitive in this industry, analysts said.

“They have a big talent pool, they have great assets and scale,” said Jessica Reif Ehrlich, senior media and entertainment analyst at Bank of America Securities. “But it all depends on execution. If they execute well, this is going to have major industry ramifications.”

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Stacked bar chart shows the number of weekly permitted shoot days in the Los Angeles area. The number of weekly permitted shoot days in the area was up 4% compared with the same week last year. This year, there were a total of 188 permitted shoot days during the week of October 5 - October 11. During the same week last year (October 6-12, 2025), there were 181.

Number of the week

The box office difficulties for “Digger” continue to mount as the film saw a 60% drop-off at the domestic box office in its second weekend in theaters.

The film, which stars Tom Cruise as an aging oil tycoon, has now made just $14.4 million in the U.S. and Canada. Worldwide, its total is $35.3 million.

That’s a problem for “Digger,” whose production budget was reported at $125 million, though some industry experts have said it could be closer to $160 million due to production delays. With that kind of budget, the studio could be poised for a big loss, to the tune of at least $150 million.

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What I’m watching

I love a period drama, so I’ve been watching Netflix’s adaptation of “East of Eden,” which stars Florence Pugh. I’ve never been a huge John Steinbeck fan, but I may give the book a chance after this sumptuous reimagining of the novel.

Dodgers Dugout: Random thoughts on Game 2 of the NLCS

October 13, 2026 | View in browser

Dodgers infielders Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Freddeie Freeman meet during a pitching change Monday in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Dodgers infielders meet during Game 2. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

By Houston Mitchell

Assistant Sports Editor

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Win or lose, Tuesday is an off day. So forget about the Dodgers for a day and enjoy life.

Game 2 thoughts

First inning

—Nervy ABS challenge by Mookie Betts. First batter of the game challenges?

—Takes second on a groundout. Third on a wild pitch. Scores on a sacrifice fly. Is this the mid-60s Dodgers? Dodgers 1, Brewers 0.

—And Shohei Ohtani still looks lost.

—I’ll bet on Yoshinobu Yamamoto every time.

—Where’s this Brice Turang guy come from?

—And then the score is tied. Dodgers 1, Brewers 1.

Second inning

—Nice to see Andy Pages draw a walk, but the Dodgers go down relatively quietly.

—There’s something about the name Garrett Mitchell that I like. I can’t figure out why, though.

—Can you tell I had to step away for a few minutes during this inning? Sorry.

Third inning

—Tommy Edman pays immediate dividends.

—Wow. Betts hit that ball hard.

—Sal Frelick made a great catch in right field.

—The Brewers taketh away and giveth. Don’t see that many errors on pickoff throws nowadays. Dodgers 2, Brewers 1.

—I think after the season we will see the headline “Ohtani spotted in full body cast.”

—Wow! Brewers manager Pat Murphy basically buried his rookies for making mistakes in the previous half-inning.

—A nice play by Kyle Tucker. He’s gotten better at everything!

—Sometimes John Smoltz will fall in love with a topic and won’t let it go. Like drawing throws to first base.

—First and second, one out. Can the Brewers cash in?

—Brewers are making Yamamoto work.

—Another PitchCom problem for the Dodgers! The battery probably ran out because of this long at-bat by Jake Bauers.

—Is it me, or could Teoscar have caught that ball if he hustled?

—Nice 12-pitch at-bat by Bauers.

—And the Brewers cash in. Brewers 3, Dodgers 2.

Fourth inning

—The Dodgers knocked out the Brewers’ ace early in Game 1 and still lost. Can they reverse that this game?

—I prefer the Limu Emu (and Doug) commercials to the Liberty Bibberty commercials.

—Only in this newsletter are those types of important things debated.

—The Dodgers seemed to be in a hurry to end that half-inning. Must be some great food in the clubhouse.

—For those of you emailing to ask, the woman who sits in the front row behind home plate and writes down every play is Front Row Amy, Amy Williams. She’s had season tickets for about 15 years and logs every play. She’s very famous in Milwaukee.

—Roki Sasaki quiets things in the bottom half. How many innings will he pitch?

Fifth inning

—Leadoff double for Tucker. Can the Dodgers cash in?

—The Dodgers bunted! And Logan Henderson threw the ball away! He should never be allowed to throw to first again. Dodgers 3, Brewers 3.

—Murphy must be extra furious at his rookies now!

—Could I use any more exclamation marks?!?

—Henderson pitched well, but two throws cost him. Baseball!

—Hey, the Dodgers used to have a pitcher named Dustin May too. What are the odds?

—Betts advanced the runner to third, Small ball.

—Can the Dodgers cash in?

—Freeman gets a sacrifice fly. Or does he? The Brewers challenge the call.

—And the call stands. Everything is happening in this game. Dodgers 4, Brewers 3.

—Tommy Edman always seems to be in the middle of the action.

—That HPE self-driving network commercial doesn’t work at all.

—Only one inning for Sasaki. Surprising.

—Kris Bubic, who made the team over Jack Dreyer, which made some fans mad, gets to earn his keep.

—And he doesn’t earn his keep. Dodgers 4, Brewers 4.

—This has been a great series.

—Christian Yellich singled, Mitchell walked. Where’s Jack Dreyer?

—That infield hit seemed to anger Brock Stewart. He fired three fastballs right past Sal Frelick.

Sixth inning

—The Dodgers go down quietly. Ohtani again looked terrible.

—Can no pitcher throw the ball to first anymore?

—If you are going to intentionally walk a guy to get to William Contreras, make sure your first pitch to him is not right down the middle. Brewers 5, Dodgers 4.

—The Brewers fans can get really loud.

—Tanner Scott comes in and quiets things down.

Seventh inning

—That was an at-bat from the last season version of Pages, flailing at a pitch way out of the zone.

—The Dodgers again go quietly. All their power has drained away.

—This is what drives me crazy about modern baseball. Scott strikes out all three batters he faces, but they take him out of the game.

—And Edgardo Henriquez gives up a hit to the first batter he faces.

—I seem to be extra cranky today. Must be how Pat Murphy feels all the time.

—And the inning ends quietly.

Eighth inning

—Another quiet inning for the Dodgers. Those are piling up.

—The Dodgers have scored four runs. Two on errors, two on sacrifice flies. Not they typical way they score runs.

—David Hamilton hit .245 this season, but you’d never guess that watching him in this game.

—He steals second, takes third on a groundout, scores on a single. Small ball. Brewers 6, Dodgers 4.

—And the Dodgers turn to their seventh reliever of the game, Justin Wrobleski.

—Another run comes in. Brewers 7, Dodgers 4.

Ninth inning

—The Dodgers need to have a tough discussion about Ohtani. Yes, he’s great. Yes, he’s won two MVP awards in two seasons with the Dodgers. And if he was just in a slump, I’d be OK with leaving him in the lineup. But he is obviously hurting. You are doing him and the team a disservice.

—Ohtani flies to left.

—Will Smith, also not hitting well, flied to right.

—Miguel Rojas, batting for Max Muncy, strikes out.

—Dodgers now trail 2-0. Desirable? No. Happy about it? No. But teams have come back from 2-0 deficits before. It could happen again. We could be sitting here Thursday wondering what happened. Or thinking the Dodgers are right back in it. We’ll just have to wait and see.

—Meanwhile, like I said at the start, take Tuesday and enjoy life. It’s just a baseball game.

Up next

Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One

Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One

*Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One

*Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One

*Monday, Oct. 19 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/Fox One

All times Pacific

*-if necessary

In case you missed it

Dodgers will consider sitting Shohei Ohtani after offense struggles in Game 2 NLCS loss

Plaschke: Dodgers’ three-peat dreams are on life support as the deflated heroes return home

How Will Smith altered the course of Game 2

In the NLCS, the Dodgers are seeing what money can’t buy: a bullpen such as Milwaukee’s

Dodgers send SOS to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow: Save our season

Dodgers Debate NLCS Game 2: Did the Dodgers forget how to hit?

Keep up with California

Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.

Subscribe Now

And finally

Remembering Vin Scully. Watch and listen here.

Until next time ...

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

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