Paramount CEO David Ellison has been meeting officials in Texas and other states as he weighs moving the studio's headquarters out of California, with a self-imposed 1 October deadline looming. That date marks when a reported $7 million-a-day "ticking fee" begins accruing if Paramount's pending deal for Warner Bros. Discovery does not close, and Ellison has said the company will relocate regardless of the outcome of lawsuits filed by a dozen states, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and the Writers Guild of America. The prospect of Paramount leaving Hollywood, where it remains the last legacy studio with a lot presence, would be a significant symbolic and economic blow to California's entertainment industry.

Records obtained by The Hollywood Reporter show Ellison met Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick last month, after earlier visiting Tennessee, whose officials had courted Paramount since July; he reportedly left Tennessee unconvinced it had the infrastructure to support the studio. Texas industry figures, including Red Sanders of the Texas Media Production Alliance, have been coordinating a pitch to state economic development officials, with Sanders also citing contacts inside Warner Bros Discovery to gauge how serious the relocation talk is. Georgia is also reportedly under consideration. Paramount has declined to comment, citing ongoing settlement negotiations.