CBS News studio at Times Square in Manhattan, New York, United States of America, on July 6th, 2024.
Beata Zawrzel | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Paramount Skydance said Monday it has agreed to acquire online publication The Free Press, naming its co-founder and CEO, Bari Weiss, as CBS News’ editor-in-chief.
Paramount Skydance reportedly paid $150 million for The Free Press.
The digital upstart publication, which was launched by Weiss in 2021, will be joined with CBS News. Paramount said Monday The Free Press has 1.5 million subscribers, more than 170,000 of which are paid subscriptions.
Weiss founded The Free Press after resigning from The New York Times’ opinion desk in 2020.
“Weiss will shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news,” Paramount said in a news release.
Weiss will report to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.
The acquisition marks the latest in a string of strategic moves by Ellison since the merger of Paramount and Skydance was completed in August.
