After Warner Bros. Discovery struck a deal last week to sell its studio and streaming services to Netflix, Paramount Skydance responded by launching a hostile takeover bid.
But there is a key difference between the two potential transactions: While the Netflix deal would not include CNN and other cable networks, Paramount is seeking to acquire WBD’s cable properties.
Government approval is also a wild card in the process, and President Donald Trump said this week that it is “imperative that CNN be sold.”
CNN is one of the most common news sources for Americans: A third of U.S.
adults regularly get news there, according to a March 2025 survey. But there are stark partisan differences when it comes to whether people both use and trust CNN. Nearly half of Democrats say they regularly get news from CNN (48%), compared with 20% of Republicans and GOP leaners.
