Who owns skydance is now easier to answer following the latest corporate changes: the Ellison family remains the controlling owner, while RedBird Capital Partners holds the remaining interest in the company’s voting structure.
As of October 6, 2026, Skydance has entered a new phase after Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The combined company is now being called Skydance Corporation, bringing Paramount and Warner Bros. assets under one corporate structure. David Ellison remains chairman and CEO, while Ynon Kreiz serves as co-CEO.
The ownership question, however, requires an important distinction between voting control and ownership of the publicly traded shares. The Ellison family controls the voting Class A stock through Harbor Lights Entertainment, formerly known as National Amusements. RedBird Capital Partners is also part of the ownership group behind Harbor Lights.
The structure gives the Ellison family decisive control over the company even though a much broader group of investors owns non-voting Class B shares. This distinction is central to understanding how Skydance is controlled today.
The Ellison Family Controls Skydance
The central figure in Skydance ownership is the Ellison family, consisting of Oracle co-founder Lawrence J. Ellison and his son, David Ellison.
Corporate filings state that entities controlled by the Ellison family hold approximately 77.5% of the voting Class A common stock through their ownership interest in Harbor Lights Entertainment. Harbor Lights and its subsidiaries hold 100% of Skydance’s Class A common stock.
That ownership arrangement gives the Ellison family control over matters decided by Class A shareholders.
The distinction matters because Skydance also has Class B common stock. Those shares are publicly traded but generally do not carry voting rights. As a result, owning publicly traded Class B shares does not give investors the same corporate influence as the Class A shares controlled through Harbor Lights.
The structure therefore allows the Ellison family to maintain control even though the company’s economic ownership is spread across a much larger investor base.
David Ellison Is the Key Executive in Control
David Ellison has become the most visible individual associated with Skydance’s ownership and management.
Ellison founded Skydance Media in 2010 and later became central to the transaction that combined Skydance with Paramount. Following the completion of that transaction in August 2025, the Ellison family became the controlling stockholder of Paramount Skydance.
Ellison now leads the combined company as chairman and CEO. Paramount announced before the Warner Bros. Discovery transaction that Ynon Kreiz would become co-CEO at closing. Ellison is responsible for long-term strategy, creative direction, strategic partnerships, technology and capital allocation, while Kreiz is focused on day-to-day management and integration.
This leadership structure does not change the underlying ownership arrangement. Ellison’s executive position and the Ellison family’s voting control operate alongside each other.
That makes David Ellison both a senior executive and a central figure in the ownership group controlling the company.
Lawrence Ellison’s Role in Skydance Ownership
Lawrence J. Ellison is also part of the controlling Ellison family ownership group.
The Oracle co-founder is David Ellison’s father and has played an important financial role in the broader ownership structure surrounding Skydance and Paramount. SEC filings identify Lawrence Ellison and David Ellison together as the Ellison Family for purposes of determining controlling ownership.
The corporate structure does not mean that Lawrence Ellison personally owns 77.5% of Skydance as an individual. Instead, the approximately 77.5% figure refers to entities controlled by members of the Ellison family.
This distinction is important when discussing ownership. The voting interest is held through a chain of entities rather than being registered simply in David Ellison’s or Lawrence Ellison’s personal name.
The result is still clear: the Ellison family has controlling voting power.
What Is Harbor Lights Entertainment?
Harbor Lights Entertainment is an important part of the answer to the ownership question.
The company was formerly known as National Amusements, Inc., or NAI. National Amusements was the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global before the Paramount-Skydance transaction.
When the Paramount-Skydance transaction closed in August 2025, the investors acquired all outstanding equity interests of National Amusements. The company was subsequently renamed Harbor Lights Entertainment.
Harbor Lights now holds 100% of Skydance’s Class A common stock, which represents the company’s voting stock. The Ellison family owns approximately 77.5% of Harbor Lights, giving it approximately 77.5% of Skydance’s voting Class A shares.
The remaining ownership of Harbor Lights belongs to RedBird Capital Partners.
This arrangement is why the ownership story cannot be reduced simply to the statement that David Ellison personally owns Skydance.
RedBird Capital Partners Also Owns Part of the Voting Structure
RedBird Capital Partners is the other major participant in the ownership structure.
The transaction structure provides for the Ellison family to own approximately 77.5% of Harbor Lights, while RedBird owns approximately 22.5%. Because Harbor Lights holds all of the Class A voting stock, those percentages determine the division of voting control through the holding company.
RedBird is led by investor Gerry Cardinale and has been a major financial partner in the Skydance-Paramount transaction.
The relationship is significant because RedBird is not simply a passive shareholder in the broader publicly traded company. It is part of the ownership group that sits above the voting Class A shares.
The Ellison family nevertheless holds the larger interest and remains the controlling stockholder.
Who Owns the Publicly Traded Shares?
The ownership picture becomes more complicated when publicly traded Class B shares are considered.
Skydance has a dual-class structure. Class A shares carry voting rights, while Class B shares generally do not.
That means investors can own a financial interest in Skydance without having a comparable ability to influence corporate decisions.
The Class B shares have been publicly traded, and institutional investors and other shareholders can participate in the company’s economic performance through those shares.
The Ellison family also has an economic interest in Class B stock. SEC filings reported that, as of June 30, 2026, the Ellison family indirectly held approximately 47.2% of the combined Class A and non-voting Class B common stock.
That percentage is different from the 77.5% voting figure because the two measurements cover different classes of stock.
This is one of the most important facts to understand when evaluating Skydance ownership.
Why the 77.5% Figure Matters
The 77.5% figure is especially important because corporate decisions are generally determined by the voting Class A shares.
Skydance’s Class A shareholders are entitled to vote, while Class B shareholders generally have no voting rights except where applicable law requires otherwise. Harbor Lights holds all of the Class A stock.
Consequently, the Ellison family’s approximately 77.5% interest in Harbor Lights gives it effective control of the voting shares.
This concentrated structure means public Class B shareholders cannot exercise the same influence over the company as the Ellison family.
The company’s securities filings have specifically warned that this concentrated control can limit the ability of Class B shareholders to influence corporate matters.
For investors, the distinction between economic ownership and voting control is therefore critical.
What Changed After the Warner Bros. Discovery Deal?
The biggest recent change came on October 6, 2026, when Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The transaction created a much larger entertainment company containing major Paramount and Warner Bros. operations. The new company is called Skydance Corporation following the corporate name change.
The transaction did not turn Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders into the controlling owners of Skydance.
Instead, Paramount Skydance remained the acquiring company, with Warner Bros. Discovery becoming part of the combined corporate structure.
That means the existing controlling ownership framework associated with the Ellison family remains central to the new Skydance organization.
The deal significantly expands what the company controls, but it does not change the basic answer to the ownership question: the Ellison family remains the controlling ownership group.
Who Controls Skydance’s Voting Power?
The current voting structure can be summarized simply:
| Ownership group | Approximate voting interest | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ellison family | 77.5% | Controlling ownership group |
| RedBird Capital Partners | 22.5% | Minority ownership group |
| Other public Class B investors | No comparable voting control | Economic participation through non-voting stock |
The percentages above relate to the ownership of Harbor Lights and the resulting control of the Class A voting shares. The public Class B stock is separate and generally does not carry voting rights.
This structure explains why the Ellison family can maintain control even with a large number of outside investors holding publicly traded shares.
Is Skydance Still Owned by David Ellison?
It is accurate to describe David Ellison as the central owner and controlling figure behind Skydance, but the more precise corporate answer is that the Ellison family controls the company through entities it owns and controls.
David Ellison is part of that family ownership group alongside Lawrence Ellison.
The distinction matters because corporate ownership is structured through multiple entities rather than through a single individual’s direct ownership of every share.
SEC filings identify the Ellison family as the ultimate parent and controlling stockholder of Paramount following the 2025 transaction.
After the 2026 Warner Bros. Discovery transaction, that ownership structure forms the foundation of the newly named Skydance Corporation.
Does RedBird Control Skydance?
No.
RedBird is a significant ownership partner, but it does not have the larger voting interest.
The Ellison family controls approximately 77.5% of Harbor Lights, while RedBird holds approximately 22.5%. Because Harbor Lights controls the Class A shares, the Ellison family has the dominant voting position.
RedBird’s involvement remains important because it is part of the ownership group and has participated in the financing and strategic development surrounding the company’s transactions.
However, RedBird does not have majority control.
Do Public Shareholders Own Skydance?
Yes, public investors can own shares of the company, but their ownership is generally through Class B stock.
Class B shares provide an economic interest in the company but generally do not provide voting rights.
This means a person buying publicly traded Skydance shares can become an investor in the company without gaining the same corporate control held by the Ellison family.
The dual-class structure is designed to separate economic participation from voting control.
That distinction has remained a defining feature of the company’s ownership structure since the Paramount-Skydance transaction.
How Skydance Ownership Evolved
Skydance began as a privately held entertainment company founded by David Ellison in 2010.
Its ownership story changed dramatically when Skydance and Paramount Global agreed to combine.
The transaction closed on August 7, 2025. At that point, Paramount Global and Skydance became subsidiaries of Paramount Skydance Corporation, while the Ellison family became the controlling stockholder.
The ownership structure placed the Ellison family and RedBird above the voting shares through the newly renamed Harbor Lights Entertainment.
The next major step arrived in 2026, when Paramount Skydance agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
That transaction closed on October 6, 2026, creating the company now known as Skydance Corporation.
The result is a far larger company, but the controlling ownership remains rooted in the Ellison family.
What the Current Ownership Means
The current ownership structure gives the Ellison family substantial authority over Skydance’s strategic direction.
Because the family controls the voting Class A stock, it has significantly more corporate influence than ordinary Class B shareholders.
David Ellison’s position as chairman and CEO further strengthens the connection between ownership and management.
At the same time, RedBird remains an important financial and ownership partner.
The publicly traded market provides outside investors with an opportunity to participate economically in Skydance, but the dual-class structure limits their voting influence.
For anyone researching the company’s ownership, these distinctions are more useful than simply identifying a single billionaire as the owner.
Who owns skydance today?
The most accurate current answer is that the Ellison family controls Skydance Corporation.
Entities controlled by Lawrence Ellison and David Ellison collectively own approximately 77.5% of the voting Class A stock indirectly through Harbor Lights Entertainment. RedBird Capital Partners owns the remaining approximately 22.5% interest in Harbor Lights.
David Ellison remains chairman and CEO of the combined company, while Ynon Kreiz serves as co-CEO following the Warner Bros. Discovery transaction.
The company’s public Class B shareholders have economic interests but generally do not have voting rights.
That makes the Ellison family the controlling ownership group even though Skydance now has a much broader shareholder base and a vastly expanded collection of entertainment assets.
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║ Who is the main owner of Skydance? ║
║ The Ellison family is the controlling ownership group. ║
║ ║
║ What percentage of voting stock does the Ellison family control?║
║ Entities controlled by the Ellison family hold about 77.5% of the ║
║ voting Class A shares through Harbor Lights Entertainment. ║
║ ║
║ Does RedBird Capital Partners own Skydance? ║
║ Yes. RedBird owns approximately 22.5% of Harbor Lights, the ║
║ holding company that owns all of the Class A voting stock. ║
║ ║
║ Is David Ellison the CEO of Skydance? ║
║ Yes. David Ellison remains chairman and CEO of the combined ║
║ company following the Warner Bros. Discovery transaction. ║
║ ║
║ Does Larry Ellison own Skydance? ║
║ Lawrence J. Ellison is part of the Ellison family controlling ║
║ ownership group alongside his son, David Ellison. ║
║ ║
║ Do public investors have voting control? ║
║ No. Publicly traded Class B shares generally do not carry voting ║
║ rights, leaving voting control with the Class A shareholders. ║
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The Bottom Line
Skydance has grown from David Ellison’s independent Hollywood studio into a much larger entertainment company following its combination with Paramount and its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Despite those major corporate changes, the ownership structure remains concentrated. The Ellison family controls approximately 77.5% of the voting Class A stock through Harbor Lights Entertainment, while RedBird Capital Partners holds the remaining interest in that voting ownership structure.
David Ellison now leads the combined company as chairman and CEO, making the Ellison family central to both its ownership and leadership.
As Skydance begins its new chapter, readers can follow the company’s ownership, leadership and corporate developments as the newly combined media giant takes shape.