Paramount-Warner Deal to Face Regulatory, Financing Hurdles

David Ellison spent two years trying to get his arms around Paramount Global before finally sealing an $8 billion takeover of that iconic Hollywood studio.

Now, the son of Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison is after a bigger prize, the $71 billion Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. If the past few years of tumult in the media industry are a guide, his newly created Paramount Skydance Corp. will face a tortuous path to completing a deal.