Who Owns Nickelodeon? Paramount Skydance, the Ownership Chain, and What Changed in 2025

Nickelodeon is owned by Paramount Skydance Corporation, a media and entertainment company formed on August 7, 2025, through the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Several articles online still say "Paramount Global" owns Nickelodeon — that was true until mid-2025. The parent company has since changed. Here's what the current structure actually looks like.

The Direct Answer: Who Owns Nickelodeon Now

What Paramount Skydance Corporation Is

Paramount Skydance Corporation is the company created when Skydance Media — a production company founded by David Ellison — merged with Paramount Global in an $8 billion transaction. 

The combined entity trades publicly on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol PSKY. It owns CBS, Paramount Pictures, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Showtime, Paramount+, Pluto TV, and Nickelodeon, among other properties.

This is not a minor rebranding. Skydance's acquisition fundamentally changed who controls the parent company. The Redstone family, which had controlled Paramount Global for decades through a voting share structure, gave up that control as part of the deal.

When and How the Current Ownership

Came to Be

The merger closed on August 7, 2025, after more than a year of negotiations, regulatory reviews, and false starts. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved it on July 24, 2025. The SEC and European Commission had signed off in February 2025.

Before the deal closed, Paramount Global was publicly traded but effectively controlled by a private holding company called National Amusements, Inc. — owned by the Redstone family. After the merger, Skydance's leadership took over. National Amusements' controlling position was dissolved.

Where Nickelodeon Sits Inside the Corporate Structure

Nickelodeon doesn't operate as a standalone company. It sits inside Paramount Skydance's TV Media business segment, under a division called Paramount Media Networks. 

Within that division, there's a sub-group called Nickelodeon Group — also known as Paramount Kids and Family Group — which oversees all of the children's and family-oriented properties.

Nickelodeon the channel is the flagship property of that group. But it also includes Nick Jr., TeenNick, NickToons, Nick at Nite, and related digital and consumer products operations.

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The Full Ownership Chain Explained

David Ellison and Skydance Media — the Controlling Force

David Ellison is the founder of Skydance Media and now serves as Chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation. Skydance was primarily known as a film and television production company before this acquisition — it co-produced the Mission: Impossible and Top 

Gun franchises with Paramount Pictures. The Skydance merger gave Ellison and his backers direct control over one of the largest media portfolios in the United States.

Ellison's stated vision is for Paramount Skydance to operate as both a media and technology company. His father, Larry Ellison — co-founder of Oracle — was among the financial backers of the merger alongside private equity firm RedBird Capital.

Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ: PSKY) — the Public Parent

Paramount Skydance is a publicly traded company. That means institutional investors, index funds, and retail shareholders own portions of it. But control sits with Skydance's leadership and aligned investors — the Redstone family no longer holds sway, and there is no dual-class structure giving any single individual the kind of voting dominance that existed before.

Jeff Shell serves as President of Paramount Skydance. Shell previously ran NBCUniversal. His appointment was part of the Skydance team building out executive leadership for the combined company.

Paramount Media Networks — the Division That Houses Nickelodeon

Paramount Media Networks is the cable television division of Paramount Skydance. It oversees all of the company's cable channels — including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CMT, and TV Land. This is the operational layer between the parent corporation and the individual channels.

Nickelodeon doesn't report to Paramount Skydance directly as an independent unit. It operates within this division, under shared leadership and shared infrastructure for advertising, distribution, and affiliate relations.

Nickelodeon Group — What It Actually Covers

Nickelodeon Group is the branded cluster of children's and family entertainment properties within Paramount Media Networks. 

The flagship Nickelodeon channel is the core, but the group also includes Nick Jr. (the preschool-focused channel), TeenNick (teen programming), NickToons (animation-focused cable channel), and the Nick at Nite programming block that airs on the main Nickelodeon channel in the evening hours.

Beyond television, the group covers Nickelodeon Movies, consumer products licensing, theme park experiences, publishing, and digital platforms — including content distributed through Paramount+. It's a broad operation, not just a cable channel.

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Who Controlled Nickelodeon Before 2025 — and What Changed

National Amusements and the Redstone Family's Controlling Stake

To understand who owns Nickelodeon now, it helps to understand who controlled it before. Prior to the Skydance merger, Paramount Global was a publicly traded company — but not truly publicly controlled.

A private holding company called National Amusements, Inc. owned approximately 77% of Paramount Global's Class A voting shares. National Amusements was owned by Shari Redstone, daughter of media mogul Sumner Redstone. 

This structure meant the Redstone family could effectively direct Paramount Global's major strategic decisions regardless of what other shareholders thought.

Shari Redstone served as Chair of Paramount Global throughout this period. Her influence extended directly to Nickelodeon's strategic direction as part of the broader portfolio.

How the Dual-Class Voting Structure Gave the Redstones Control

Paramount Global used a dual-class share structure — similar in concept to what companies like Google and Facebook use. Class A shares carried limited voting rights; Class B shares carried significantly more votes per share. 

National Amusements held the high-vote Class B shares. This allowed the Redstone family to maintain majority voting power while other investors held most of the economic value.

What's often overlooked in casual explanations of "who owns Nickelodeon" is that for decades, the answer wasn't really "shareholders" in the conventional sense — it was one family, operating through a private holding company, using a voting structure designed to preserve dynastic control.

Why That Control Ended With the Skydance Merger

The Skydance deal required National Amusements to sell its stake and dissolve the dual-class structure. As part of the transaction, the Redstone family received cash for their National Amusements position. Going forward, Paramount Skydance Corporation operates with a standard voting structure — all Class B shares now trade publicly under PSKY.

Shari Redstone no longer holds a governance role. The era of Redstone family control over Nickelodeon and the broader Paramount portfolio ended with the merger's closing on August 7, 2025.

Who Runs Nickelodeon Day to Day

Paramount Skydance Leadership — Ellison and Shell

At the top of the organization, David Ellison (CEO and Chairman) and Jeff Shell (President) oversee the full portfolio of Paramount Skydance properties. They do not manage Nickelodeon directly — that's handled at the division and channel level — but major decisions about content investment, distribution strategy, and corporate structure flow from their office.

Ellison has publicly stated that animation is a priority for the combined company. Skydance has its own animation division, led by John Lasseter, the former Pixar and Disney Animation chief. How Skydance Animation and Nickelodeon's extensive animation operations will work together is one of the more actively watched open questions following the merger.

Nickelodeon Kids & Family Leadership Post-Merger

In December 2025, Paramount Skydance announced its TV Media leadership restructuring. Jurles Borkent — who previously served as president of Nickelodeon's international unit — was named to lead Nickelodeon Kids & Family. This appointment came roughly four months after the merger closed, as the new leadership team worked through organizational changes.

The restructuring also resulted in departures. Shauna Phelan, who had served as EVP and Head of Live-Action Series, Films & Talent at Nickelodeon, left the company as part of the post-merger cost-cutting and reorganization. Around 1,000 employees company-wide were laid off in August 2025, with further reductions in subsequent months.

How Decisions Flow From Parent to Division

In practice, Nickelodeon's day-to-day programming — what shows get ordered, renewed, or cancelled — is handled by the channel's own creative and development teams. The parent company sets financial guardrails and strategic priorities. 

Nickelodeon doesn't vote independently on its own direction; its leadership operates within budgets and mandates set by Paramount Skydance and Paramount Media Networks.

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What the Skydance Merger Means for Nickelodeon Practically

Animation Strategy and the Skydance Animation Connection

One of the clearest stated priorities of the Skydance merger — as it relates to Nickelodeon — is animation. Skydance Animation already has its own slate of family-oriented projects. 

Nickelodeon has decades of animation infrastructure and intellectual property. The stated goal from Ellison and incoming president Jeff Shell is to combine these capabilities.

What shape this takes in practice remains unclear as of early 2026. Nickelodeon ordered only four new content titles in 2025 — a notably low number compared to prior years — suggesting that commissioning slowed as the merger was finalized and organizational changes were processed.

Nickelodeon's Integration Into Paramount+ Streaming

Nickelodeon content has been integrated into Paramount+ for several years — this predates the Skydance deal. The platform includes a Kids & Family hub where Nickelodeon series, movies, and originals are available on demand. Under Paramount Skydance, this streaming integration continues and is considered a core part of how the brand reaches audiences who have moved away from traditional cable.

At first glance, this looks like a straightforward extension of the network's cable presence — but in practice it represents a significant strategic shift. Nickelodeon increasingly functions as an IP library and content brand rather than purely a linear cable channel. Shows originate there, then live on Paramount+ and potentially license to other platforms.

What Is Known — and What Remains Uncertain

Some things are confirmed: Paramount Skydance owns Nickelodeon. David Ellison is in charge. Animation is a stated priority. Jurles Borkent leads the Kids & Family division. Nickelodeon content is distributed through Paramount+.

What is less settled: How aggressively Nickelodeon will commission new content under the new ownership. Whether Skydance Animation and Nickelodeon will consolidate into a single unit. 

What happens to the Nickelodeon library as Paramount pursues other strategic moves — including a reported interest in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, which would significantly reshape the broader portfolio again.

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Conclusion

Nickelodeon is owned by Paramount Skydance Corporation as of August 7, 2025. The Redstone family's decades-long control ended with the Skydance merger. David Ellison now leads the parent company. 

Nickelodeon operates under Paramount Media Networks within the Nickelodeon Group division — with animation strategy and streaming integration the two most active areas of change under new ownership.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Viacom own Nickelodeon? 

Yes. Viacom owned Nickelodeon from the 1990s. After Viacom merged with CBS Corporation in 2019, the company became ViacomCBS — later renamed Paramount Global in 2022. When Paramount Global merged with Skydance in August 2025, ownership transferred to Paramount Skydance Corporation.

Does Nick Cannon own Nickelodeon? 

No. Nick Cannon has no ownership stake in Nickelodeon. He has appeared on Nickelodeon programming and has had various creative partnerships with the network, but he does not own, co-own, or control any part of it.

Is Nickelodeon publicly traded? 

Nickelodeon itself is not publicly traded. It operates as a division of Paramount Skydance Corporation, which trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol PSKY. Buying PSKY stock gives indirect exposure to Nickelodeon alongside CBS, Paramount Pictures, MTV, and other properties.

Who founded Nickelodeon? 

Nickelodeon originated from a cable channel called Pinwheel, conceptualized by Dr. Vivian Horner and launched on December 1, 1977, as part of QUBE, an early cable system in Columbus, Ohio. It became a nationwide network under the Nickelodeon name on April 1, 1979.

What brands does Nickelodeon Group include? 

Nickelodeon Group includes the main Nickelodeon channel, Nick Jr., TeenNick, NickToons, and the Nick at Nite programming block. It also oversees Nickelodeon Movies, consumer products licensing, and digital distribution through platforms including Paramount+.