Billionaire John Malone predicted a major deal between David Ellison’s Skydance and Elon Musk’s SpaceX during an appearance at the Paley Center International Council Summit on Wednesday in conversation with Liberty Global chief Mike Fries.
Malone anticipates that Musk and Ellison will strike a partnership involving an investment between $8 billion and $10 billion to help the media company delever and ease the debt burden on David Ellison.
“I think there’s a deal coming there,” Malone said, citing the specific investment figure. “I predict, big prediction, that you’ll see a global output deal for Skydance with SpaceX, and an investment by SpaceX into Skydance, to delever Skydance and take a little bit of the burden off David Ellison’s shoulders, because he’s taking on a pretty big pile of debt.”
While the exact return for SpaceX remains less clear, Malone noted that Musk and David Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, are deeply connected. Malone was previously the architect of the Warner Bros. Discovery deal alongside David Zaslav.
“Who helped Elon finance Twitter when he bought it? Larry Ellison,” Malone said. “How did Larry Ellison come up with some of the money to put into the creation of Skydance? Tesla stock. And I would not doubt for a minute that before very long you’re going to see an announcement.”
SpaceX is currently working to expand its Starlink internet service and has acquired broadcast spectrum. Potential assets like CBS, which owns numerous local stations, or X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that features an active advertising business, could potentially factor into a broader tie-up.
Malone has a long history in media and telecom dealmaking, marked by past friendships and rivalries with figures such as Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch, and Barry Diller.
Previous rumors have suggested that Musk might invest in Skydance as part of Ellison and RedBird’s effort to syndicate equity, but a formal arrangement with SpaceX would advance the partnership significantly further.
