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Paramount Global has agreed on terms of an $8 billion merger with Skydance — the Hollywood studio the media giant has collaborated with to crank out the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible” franchise, according to a report.

Skydance — founded by David Ellison, the son of software tycoon Larry Ellison — has agreed under the proposed deal with a Paramount special committee to pay $2 billion for Paramounts parent company, National Amusements, according to CNBC.

The deal could mark a long-anticipated cashout by Shari Redstone — the daughter of the late media tycoon Sumner Redstone, who is the controlling shareholder of National Amusements. An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday at Paramount’s annual shareholder meeting, according to reports.

We received the financial terms of the proposed Paramount/Skydance transaction over the weekend and we are reviewing them, a National Amusements spokesperson said.

Altogether, the deal is valued at $8 billion up from about $5 billion under earlier terms discussed between Skydance and Paramount. In addition to its namesake movie studio, Paramount owns CBS and cable TV networks including Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central.

Previously, Redstone would have received less than $2 billion for her stake, and the class B shareholders would have been bought out at $11 a share, CNBC previously reported.

As part of the deal, Skydance will buy out nearly half of Paramounts class B shares for $4.5 billion, $15 apiece giving shareholders a stake in the newly formed company, according to Faber.

Skydance, which has the backing of private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR, will also pay down Paramounts debt by adding $1.5 billion in cash to the studios balance sheet, according to CNBC.

Redstone, whose company owns 77% of class A Paramount shares, must sign off on the deal, which will not require a vote from the shareholders a condition that was part of the negotiations, according to CNBC reporter David Faber.

National Amusements recused itself from the board talks, so the company only recently received the details of the proposal.

Skydance and Redbird will own two-thirds of Paramount while the remaining third will be controlled by class B shareholders.

Class B Shares of Paramount climbed 7.5% to $12.80 on Monday.

In early May, Apollo and Sony had expressed interest in acquiring Paramount for about $26 billion and breaking up the company, CNBC previously reported.

But Apollo and Sony reportedly have since backed off as Redstone favored a deal that would keep Paramount intact.

As negotiations have continued, Paramounts C-suite also has been shuffled in recent months, with Bob Bakish stepping down as CEO in April. He was replaced by a trio of executives dubbed the Office of the CEO.

The three executives now in charge are CBS president and CEO George Cheeks; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, the head of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.

Cheeks, McCarthy and Robbins will address the shareholders on Tuesday and present to them the companys strategic priorities.

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Sports

Cignetti gets new 8-yr., $93M deal at Indiana

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Cignetti gets new 8-yr., M deal at Indiana

Indiana has reached a new eight-year contract with Curt Cignetti, which will make him one of the highest-paid football coaches in the FBS with an annual average salary of about $11.6 million, the university announced Thursday.

Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to a 10-2 record and a surprising College Football Playoff appearance in his first season at the school in 2024. This season, the No. 3 Hoosiers are 6-0 heading into Saturday’s game against Michigan State.

In a video posted to Indiana’s social media accounts, Cignetti said, “I couldn’t be more proud to be a Hoosier, and I plan on retiring as a Hoosier. The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else.”

Hoosiers athletic director Scott Dolson says Cignetti’s new deal shows the school is “all-in.”

“We didn’t come this far to only come this far,” Dolson told ESPN. “We’re all-in, and going to continue to invest and make certain that we’ve got our priorities in line. He’s Priority 1, and then it’s retaining our staff and it’s having the resources to build a roster.”

Cignetti, 64, was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year by several organizations in 2024. The Hoosiers are 17-2 under Cignetti, including an 11-1 record against Big Ten opponents.

On Oct. 11, the Hoosiers stunned then-No. 3 Oregon 30-20 on the road. It was Indiana’s first victory against a top-five opponent since upsetting then-No. 3 Purdue 19-14 in 1967.

The new deal with Cignetti goes through the 2033 regular season.

“At Indiana University, we are committed to performing at the highest levels in everything we do, and no one has exemplified that more than Coach Cignetti,” Indiana University President Pamela Whitten said in a statement. “Put simply, Cig is a winner. From last year’s College Football Playoff appearance to this year’s top-three national ranking, the IU football program’s success has been tremendous.”

Cignetti, who previously coached at James Madison, Elon and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, was expected to be one of the hottest commodities on the market before signing an extension with the Hoosiers.

“He loves football and he loves his family, and that’s his whole life,” Dolson added. “So having his family in a place that they’re comfortable, if you set aside just the normal football support, but being in an environment that they enjoy, and it’s super important, and I feel really good about that.”

Utilizing the transfer portal, Cignetti has transformed the once-woebegone Hoosiers into a Big Ten title contender. Indiana had never won 10 games in a season before his arrival in the 127-year history of the program. The Hoosiers hadn’t had a winning record since going 6-2 in the 2020 season, which was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hoosiers went 9-27 in three seasons under Tom Allen before Cignetti’s hiring.

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Science

Satellites Capture Record-Breaking 20-Metre Waves Crossing Entire Oceans

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ESA satellites have recorded the world’s largest ocean swells — nearly 20 meters high — generated by Storm Eddie in the North Pacific. These giant waves carried storm energy over 24,000 kilometers, reaching distant coasts and proving that ocean swells can transport immense power across the globe even when storms stay offshore.

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Science

Scientists Discover Parasitic Worms That Hunt Using Static Electricity

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Scientists discovered that a tiny nematode leaps toward flying insects using static electricity. The findings reveal how electrostatic forces drive predator-prey interactions and could reshape how we understand small-scale ecosystems.

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