Paramount chair and CEO David Ellison has outlined specific commitments for the creative community in an open letter addressing the studio’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery, pledging that the combined entity would produce at least 30 theatrical features annually while maintaining a competitive marketplace structure.
In the letter addressed to “the British creative community, fellow film lovers and television fans, the industry at large,” Ellison emphasized that audiences “are best served by greater choice – not less – and by a marketplace that encourages the full spectrum of filmmaking, content creation, and theatrical exhibition, not one that eliminates meaningful competition by creating a monopolistic or dominant entity.”
Should the acquisition succeed, Ellison committed that Paramount Studios and Warner Bros. Studios would each produce a minimum of 15 high-quality feature films per year. Paramount has already increased its output from eight to 15 films since closing the Paramount-Skydance transaction in August.
Additional commitments include maintaining HBO as an independent operation, ensuring every film receives a full theatrical release with a minimum 45-day global window before paid video-on-demand availability, and preserving the home video window following theatrical runs. Ellison indicated the studio would aim for 60-90 days or more for the most successful releases.
Both studios will continue to support a vibrant third-party ecosystem by licensing their films and shows across their own and third-party platforms, while remaining active buyers of content from third-party studios and independent producers, according to the letter.
Positioning the deal in contrast to Netflix‘s market approach, Ellison stated the proposed combination is “intended to strengthen competition by creating a more capable and effective rival to the dominant platforms.”
The letter comes as Paramount has launched a tender offer for WBD and is soliciting proxies against a proposed merger between WBD and Netflix announced in December. According to SEC filings referenced in the letter’s legal disclaimers, Paramount filed a preliminary proxy statement on Jan. 22 in connection with its opposition to the Netflix-WBD transaction.