Paramount Skydance Weighs Nashville Move as USD 111 Billion Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Faces Antitrust Trial

Paramount Skydance Chairman and Chief Executive David Ellison is considering moving the studio out of California. The company is seeking about 400,000 square feet of office space in Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. Paramount has not announced any relocation plan. If such a plan moves forward, California would lose the headquarters of a major Hollywood studio.

Paramount Skydance is pursuing its USD 111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The transaction received approval in June 2026 from the US Department of Justice and regulators in more than 60 countries and regions, but it still faces an antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 states, including California. The trial in that lawsuit is scheduled for March 2027, and settlement talks are due to be held in San Francisco in October 2026. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the lawsuit.

Starting in October 2026, if the transaction has still not been completed, Paramount will have to pay about USD 7 million per day, or about USD 210 million over 30 days. California's entertainment industry is under pressure, with companies and residents continuing to leave the state. Companies that have moved or plan to move out include Chevron, Tesla, SpaceX, Oracle and Charles Schwab. Tennessee has been actively courting the studio. Nashville already has ties to the Ellison family: Oracle, co-founded by Larry Ellison, announced plans in 2024 to move its headquarters to the city. Larry Ellison also provided funding support for his son David's acquisition of Warner Bros.