Story perspectives

Mattel Names Roger Lynch CEO, Chairman After Succession

By Drooid · Oct 1, 2026, 1:56 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Mattel appoints Lynch

Mattel appointed Roger Lynch as chief executive and chairman, succeeding Ynon Kreiz.
Lynch will assume board chair on Oct. 2 and become CEO on Nov. 2.
Kreiz will leave Mattel to become co-CEO of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger on Oct. 5.
Mattel shares dropped 4.24% on Wednesday, extending a 36% decline for the year.
Mattel’s board said Lynch’s media background will help grow its brand portfolio.

Summary

Martínez-Olguín clears merger

Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved the antitrust settlement, clearing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
The deal requires releasing at least 30 U.S. theatrical films each year for five years.
It also mandates $300 million annual U.S. production investment, totaling $1.5 billion over five years.
A board of journalists will oversee editorial independence at CBS News and CNN.
Casey Bloys will lead the merged streaming platform after Cindy Holland exits.

History

Historical Context

In January 2000 AOL announced a merger with Time Warner valued at $163.4 billion, the largest media-technology combine then. The FTC cleared the deal in December 2000 and it closed on Jan 11 2001, promising 130 million subscriber relationships but later unraveled, showing cross-industry consolidation risks. Mattel’s hiring of Roger Lynch and the Paramount-Warner settlement echo this history.

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Mattel appoints Lynch

Mattel appointed Roger Lynch as chief executive and chairman, succeeding Ynon Kreiz.
Lynch will assume board chair on Oct. 2 and become CEO on Nov. 2.
Kreiz will leave Mattel to become co-CEO of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger on Oct. 5.
Mattel shares dropped 4.24% on Wednesday, extending a 36% decline for the year.
Mattel’s board said Lynch’s media background will help grow its brand portfolio.

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