Barry Diller calls out studios for reckless misinformation

In the conclusion of Kim Masters’ two-part conversation with Barry Diller, the veteran businessman reflects on his time helping build Rupert Murdoch’s Fox empire. Diller also criticizes studios for spreading misinformation—citing Oliver Stone’s JFK in particular—and weighs in on the now-resolved Trump-Paramount dispute, and the prospect of a David Ellison-led studio. Plus, Paramount’s looming merger with Skydance has South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker lawyering up. The duo is eyeing legal action over billion-dollar licensing deals they claim are being undercut. At the center of it all: South Park’s future on Paramount+. New execs Jeff Shell and David Ellison are feeling the heat; Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw are on hand to explain what’s at stake.