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<\/p>\nOne of the biggest media mergers in history is complete, combining Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery into a new entertainment behemoth that owns many of the world\u2019s biggest film and TV franchises \u2013 and the UK\u2019s Channel 5.<\/p>\n
Skydance CEO David Ellison, son of a tech billionaire and ally of Donald Trump, said he was creating a \u201cnext-generation media and entertainment company, powered by creativity and technology\u201d to take on streaming giants such as Netflix.<\/p>\n
It owns an extraordinary library of content, from The Godfather to Barbie, Forrest Gump to Top Gun, Casablanca to Batman.<\/p>\n
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![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_276098540.jpg\")
People take part in the National Demonstration for Palestine in central London to mark International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People in November (Photo: Jeff Moore\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
news<\/p>\n
Pro-Palestine march to go ahead on 7 October anniversary<\/p>\n
A pro-Palestine march on the anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack has been given the go-ahead by police, under strict conditions.<\/p>\n
\nThe protest\n<\/p>\n
Who is protesting?<\/p>\n
A group of students called the University of London Coalition are expected to march in the capital on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_269382622.jpg\")
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND \u2013 OCTOBER 7: Protesters speak during a demonstration outside King\u2019s College London on October 7, 2025 in London, England. On the same day as people mark the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel which led to more than 1200 deaths and 251 hostages taken, students from King\u2019s College London, London School of Economics, University College London, and School of Oriental and ??African Studies (SOAS) take part in a march through central London to mark two years since \u2018the beginning of the genocide in Gaza\u2019. This march comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced increased police powers at repeat protests, such as those in support of Palestine. (Photo by Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Dan Kitwood
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe<\/p>\n
![\"Pro-Palestinian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_269380472.jpg\")
Caption: Pro-Palestinian student protesters hold a banner with the slogan \u201cFrom the river 2 the sea Palestine will be free\u201d written on it outside King\u2019s College London during an inter-university march for Gaza in London on October 7, 2025, the second anniversary of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel which sparked a retaliatory offensive in Gaza. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS \/ AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS\/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: JUSTIN TALLIS
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n
Why they are marching<\/p>\n
Organisers urged people to \u201ctake to the street and demand an end to the Palestinian genocide\u201d.<\/p>\n
Why is it controversial?<\/p>\n
It has drawn criticism for being held on the anniversary of Hamas\u2019s 7 October attack on Israel.<\/p>\n
![\"GAZA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_299946526.jpg\")
Hamas continues to rule over the Gaza strip and has refused calls from Board of Peace officials to disarm (Photo: Chris McGrath\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Police restrictions<\/p>\n
The group is required to form at Lincoln\u2019s Inn Fields by 12.30pm, take a prescribed route to Russell Square, and finish the rally by 2pm.<\/p>\n
Demonstrators must not wear a face covering which conceals their identity, with the Met Police saying anyone who breaches these conditions can be arrested.<\/p>\n
The march was originally set to leave from King\u2019s College London, but restrictions require them to be further from the university.<\/p>\n
\t Exclusive<\/p>\n 3 min read<\/p>\n \n\u2018Show compassion,\u2019 Powell says\n<\/p>\n Education Secretary Lucy Powell called on the student march organisers \u201cto show compassion and respect for others by moving it\u201d to another date. She added that universities should take \u201ca zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse, backed by robust disciplinary policies\u201d.<\/p>\n \t Analysis<\/p>\n 4 min read<\/p>\n \u2018High bar for ban not met\u2019<\/p>\n We hear the calls for this event to be banned. The police cannot ban protests and can only ask the Home Secretary to do so if the risk of serious disorder is so high that it can\u2019t be managed by conditions. That high bar is not met here.<\/p>\n met police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman, who leads Met Operations including public order policing<\/p>\n What we know as Ofcom opens first investigation into Meta<\/p>\n Ofcom has launched its first investigation into Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta under the Online Safety Act.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything we know.<\/p>\n \t 3 min read<\/p>\n Why is Ofcom investigating Meta?<\/p>\n Online safety regulator Ofcom\u00a0is investigating Meta regarding its disappearing content feature.<\/p>\n Ofcom said it was looking into whether the tech giant adequately assessed the risks of Instagram Instants before launching it in May.<\/p>\n The feature allows users to take and share photos that disappear after being viewed. It cannot be seen after 24 hours.<\/p>\n Meta said it had \u201cconducted a risk analysis\u201d and briefed Ofcom \u201con a number of occasions\u201d before launch.<\/p>\n \nWhat risks does the feature carry?\n<\/p>\n Ofcom said on Tuesday it had launched a formal investigation to establish \u201cwhether Meta failed to comply with its duties under the Act by not carrying out a suitable and sufficient illegal content risk assessment and children\u2019s risk assessment before the launch of Instants\u201d.<\/p>\n Illegal content can include child sexual exploitation and abuse material, and harmful content for children under the Act includes pornography, suicide and self-harm.<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s response<\/p>\n Meta takes its regulatory obligations under the Online Safety Act seriously<\/p>\n A Meta spokesperson insisted Instants has in-built protections including \u201cblocking screenshots, reshares and forwarding, no public feed, and Teen Account protections on automatically\u201d.<\/p>\n ANALYSIS<\/p>\n Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s toxic empire is starting to crack<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s decision to pay more than $17bn (\u00a312bn) to settle a landmark US lawsuit is being seen as a reckoning for a company that has got away with preying on children and ransacking its users\u2019 data for decades.<\/p>\n NEWS<\/p>\n Paramount and Warner Bros mega deal creates Skydance<\/p>\n Paramount has completed its $110bn (\u00a383bn) takeover of Warner Bros Discovery to create a new Hollywood giant.<\/p>\n \nDetails on the deal\n<\/p>\n Big money merger<\/p>\n The mega deal will bring both major film studio brands under the name Skydance.<\/p>\n Which channels are involved?<\/p>\n It also brings together streaming services and TV networks including CBS and HBO Max.<\/p>\n UK channels<\/p>\n In the UK, meanwhile, Skydance will control assets such as Channel 5 and TNT Sports.<\/p>\n Issues with regulators<\/p>\n Paramount, which was bought by Skydance last year, initially launched a hostile approach before gaining the approval of the Warner Bros board.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s regulators greenlit the deal in August, with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport promising not to intervene after several \u201clegally binding commitments\u201d from Paramount over its footprint in the UK.<\/p>\n The deal had to gain approval from regulators across the world, while also settling a lawsuit lodged by Democratic attorney generals in 12 states seeking to block the merger.<\/p>\n \t 5 min read<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Minutes after the merger was complete on Tuesday, Ellison said a slate of new movies would be made by its studios, including from the Harry Potter, DC Comics and Lord of the Rings universes.<\/p>\n But there are fears the merger will significantly reduce competition and diversity in the media \u2013 including in the UK, where the new company leapfrogs Sky to become the country\u2019s third most-viewed TV network, once the companies\u2019 more than 50 linear channels (including Channel 5) are added together.<\/p>\n And the new company\u2019s mountain of debt potentially means cuts and layoffs will follow, especially in loss-making news channels.<\/p>\n More hobbits, heroes and wizards<\/p>\n Shortly after the merger was complete, staff got a long memo in their inbox from Ellison and Co-CEO Ynon Kreiz.<\/p>\n It promised they would build \u201ca company that tells great stories in every genre, for audiences everywhere, on every platform\u201d.<\/p>\n They pledged to make at least 30 movies a year<\/a>, \u201cpairing original stories from today\u2019s most exciting filmmakers with beloved franchises like\u00a0Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible, The Lord of the Rings, DC, Transformers\u00a0and\u00a0Star Trek\u201c. In other words \u2013 more superheroes, wizards and hobbits. Or in corporate speak: \u201cUnlocking the full potential of our assets: an unmatched portfolio of brands [and] franchises.\u201d<\/p>\n The Paramount mountain and WB shield will still appear at the start of the films, as brands that disguise the merged management.<\/p>\n On TV, they said, expect \u201cstorytelling like\u00a0Game of Thrones, Landman, NCIS, Tracker\u00a0and\u00a0SpongeBob SquarePants\u201c.<\/p>\n David Folkenflik, media correspondent for NPR and author of a book on media empires, told the ABC that the merger was \u201can extraordinary moment\u201d for Hollywood and the media.<\/p>\n \u201cDavid Ellison is trying to create a new media empire but on old Hollywood terms, and seeking to compete with these new digital titans of Netflix, Amazon and Apple,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Who is David Ellison?<\/p>\n The UK government reviewed the merger\u2019s impact on the British media landscape earlier this year, and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had concerns.<\/p>\n In a letter to Paramount and Skydance<\/a> in June, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said Nandy wanted to ensure that \u201cno one owner or voice has too much influence over public opinion or the political agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n Ellison is the son of the world\u2019s eighth-richest man, Oracle\u2019s Larry Ellison. Ellison junior\u2019s personal billion-dollar fortune is dwarfed by the estimated $185bn of his father, who personally guaranteed a large chunk of this week\u2019s merger.<\/p>\n Because of the unclear influence of Ellison Snr, Forbes has declined to put Ellison Jr on its billionaires list<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both Ellisons are considered allies of US President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal called the relationship \u201csymbiotic\u201d<\/a>, reporting that Ellison Snr gave $45m to a political non-profit group supporting Trump\u2019s election efforts in 2024, with support continuing after the election. Ellison Jr hosted a dinner for the Trump administration<\/a> in April and attended the UFC match on the White House grounds in June.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Ellison Jr said he had \u201ca good relationship\u201d with the Trump administration, but did not want to \u201cpoliticise\u201d the company and thought it was \u201cimportant to talk to everybody on both sides of the aisle\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump, asked about the merger on Wednesday, said \u201cthey\u2019re terrific people, and it\u2019s going to be a great company\u201d.<\/p>\n Channel interference<\/p>\n According to the DCMS letter, Warner Bros owns 30 linear channels that broadcast in the UK, including CNN, TNT Sports and the Cartoon Network. Paramount owns 20, including Channel 5, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV.<\/p>\n DCMS analysis found that, combined, their viewing share (12 per cent) would be greater than Sky and Channel 4, making them the third-largest linear broadcaster in the UK by audience share. It also noted that the merger \u201ccould potentially lead to a loss of a significant presence in an already limited market for children\u2019s linear content\u201d.<\/p>\n The new company also has four streaming services with millions of subscribers in the UK: Discovery+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Channel 5. Ellison has already indicated he will merge HBO Max and Paramount+.<\/p>\n Nandy was also concerned that the merger had the \u201cpotential to result in a concentration of voices in international news programming within the UK. This might happen if, for example, Channel 5 News and CNN were to combine their US and international news programming or if a decision was made to stop broadcasting CNN International altogether\u201d.<\/p>\n When Skydance took over Paramount last year and installed new leadership at CBS it sparked an internal revolt over claims of editorial interference. <\/p>\n
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\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_311338861.jpg\")
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08, 2026: Secretary of State for Education and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Lucy Powell arrives in Downing Street to attend weekly Cabinet meeting in London, United Kingdom on September 08, 2026. (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz\/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Photographer: Wiktor Szymanowicz
Provider: Wiktor Szymanowicz\/Future Publis
Source: Future Publishing
Copyright: ? 2026 Wiktor Szymanowicz<\/p>\n
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Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND \u2013 DECEMBER 2: Protesters holding a placard and a Palestinian flag gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice on December 2, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. A three-day judicial review is being heard by the High Court on the proscription of Palestine Action (PA) as a terrorist group. PA co-founder Huda Ammori leads the challenge to the pro-Palestinian campaign group\u2019s proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000. Last month the Home Office lost an appeal to block the review, which was due to begin on November 25, but was postponed a day. The Home Office-imposed ban on membership or support of PA took effect on July 5, after activists from the pro-Palestinian group broke into RAF Brize Norton and spray-painted two Voyager aircraft. Since their proscription, more than 2,000 people have been arrested for allegedly showing support of PA, mostly while holding signs reading: \u201cI oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.\u201d (Photo by Jack Taylor\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Jack Taylor
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe<\/p>\n![\"SHENZHEN,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_308806176.jpg\")
Caption: SHENZHEN, CHINA \u2013 JULY 23: In this photo illustration, a smartphone displays the logo of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META), a global technology company and the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, in front of a screen showing the company\u2019s latest stock market chart on July 23, 2026 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin\/Getty Images)
Photographer: Cheng Xin
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images AsiaPac<\/p>\n
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Famous brands including Facebook and Instagram owner Meta have attempted to offset their carbon emission on the Kenyan project (Photo: CFOTO\/Future Publishing via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_196517188_ca488f.jpg\")
Ofcom offices
Photographer: Yui Mok\/PA Wire
Source: PA<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_95222553.jpg\")
Instagram has started to ask users to provide their date of birth (Photo: Charles Krupa\/AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_309661705.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_277470684.jpg\")
Caption: This aerial view shows the water tower with the Paramount logo at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, on December 9, 2025. Paramount on December 8 launched an all-cash tender offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant that also owns CNN, in a challenge to Netflix\u2019s own highly contested deal. (Photo by Robyn Beck \/ AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: ROBYN BECK
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors<\/p>\n![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_250202672.jpg\")
(Photo: Getty)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-80886730.jpg\")
Lloyds took over the HBOS brand in 2008. (Photo: SHAUN CURRY\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"General](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_278487483.jpg\")
Voters believe the UK\u2019s best days are behind it (Photo: Chris Jackson\/PA)<\/p>\n
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David Ellison is now one of the world\u2019s most powerful media moguls (Photo: Jeenah Moon\/Reuters)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-07-142750.png\")
The company combines dozens of TV channels<\/p>\n