Hollywood
Paramount names Dennis Cinelli as new chief financial officer
MUMBAI: From balance sheets to big screens, Paramount has made a decisive financial move. Paramount, a Skydance Corporation company, has appointed Dennis K. Cinelli as its chief financial officer, effective January 15, 2026, marking a significant leadership shift at the media giant.
Cinelli, who steps down from Paramount’s board to take on the executive role, brings heavyweight credentials from the technology and AI worlds. He previously played a central role in taking Uber public during his tenure leading its mobility business in the US and Canada, and most recently served as CFO at Scale AI, where he helped drive rapid revenue growth and strategic fundraising, including a landmark investment by Meta that valued the company at nearly $30 billion.
As CFO, Cinelli succeeds Andrew C. Warren, who has served as EVP and interim CFO since June 2025. Warren will remain closely involved as a strategic adviser. Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said Cinelli’s experience across direct-to-consumer, media, industrial and AI-driven businesses makes him a natural fit as the company enters its next phase of growth and transformation.
Alongside the finance reshuffle, Paramount has also strengthened its board with the appointment of Andrew Campion as an independent director from January 13, 2026. Campion brings deep operational and strategic expertise from senior leadership roles at Nike and The Walt Disney Company, as well as board experience at Starbucks.
With a new finance chief and a seasoned board addition, Paramount appears keen to ensure that its next act is as tightly scripted financially as it is creatively.
Hollywood
Trump invested over $1.1m in Netflix bonds at the peak of Warner Bros bidding battle
Financial disclosures show U.S. president also bought Warner Bros Discovery debt during high-stakes media takeover race.
WASHINGTON: New government financial disclosures show that U.S. president Donald Trump purchased more than $1.1 million worth of bonds issued by Netflix over the past three months. The transactions occurred during a period when Netflix was engaged in a competitive bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, a potential merger that the Trump administration had publicly criticised on antitrust grounds.
Between December and January, the president acquired Netflix bonds valued between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. The bonds carry a 5.375 per cent interest rate and are scheduled to mature in November 2029. Financial disclosures also revealed an additional investment in Warner Bros Discovery bonds. The purchase was valued between $500,002 and $1 million, with the debt reportedly bought at roughly 92 cents on the dollar. The bonds are now trading at around 95 cents on the dollar, leaving the position currently in profit.
The timing of the investments has drawn scrutiny because the administration had been openly critical of Netflix’s market activities at the time. While the president’s trust was purchasing the debt, the administration reportedly pressured Netflix to remove board member Susan Rice and expressed concerns that a Netflix–Warner merger could harm competition.
The White House has dismissed conflict-of-interest concerns, stating that the president’s assets are managed independently by his children. Spokesperson Anna Kelly said U.S. presidents are legally exempt from the conflict-of-interest laws that apply to other federal officials.
Despite the financial interest, Netflix ultimately lost the race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. Paramount Skydance secured the deal on 27 February with a $110 billion offer. The acquisition was backed by Larry Ellison, who guaranteed $40 billion to support the bid, while major lenders including Bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo Global Management provided $39 billion in financing.
The final acquisition leaves the combined Paramount entity carrying roughly $85 billion in debt, while Netflix withdrew its bid roughly two weeks before the official disclosure report was released.
