The biggest rivalry in children’s television is officially over, at least on paper. Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon are now corporate sisters after Paramount completed its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, creating a new entertainment giant called Skydance.
The Cartoon Network Nickelodeon merger brings two of the most iconic brands in kids’ television under one roof for the first time in their decades-long history. Cartoon Network, home to The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Adventure Time, was owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Nickelodeon, the network behind SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, belonged to Paramount. While the two networks are not merging into a single channel, they will now report to the same corporate leadership, with Warner Bros. Television chief Channing Dungey poised to oversee both cable portfolios.
The merger closed after a contentious journey. Paramount, led by David Ellison, faced a rival bid from Netflix and an antitrust lawsuit from 12 state attorneys general. A settlement approved by a federal judge on September 30 cleared the final hurdle, requiring the combined company to release at least 30 films annually and maintain editorial independence for CNN and CBS News. The new Skydance will have annual revenue of nearly $70 billion and more than 200 million streaming subscriptions across its platforms. Fans across social media mourned the end of an era, with many recalling the fierce childhood debates over which network was better.
