July 11 (Reuters) - Skydance Media CEO David Ellison has held preliminary talks to acquire The Free Press, an online news outlet, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The news comes as Skydance is seeking to close its $8.4 billion merger with Paramount Global PARA.O, which is awaiting approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

The Free Press, co-founded by former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss, describes itself as a platform committed to independent journalism.

Ellison and Weiss have discussed several potential collaborations, including a role for Weiss in shaping CBS News' editorial direction, though not in a managerial capacity, the report added.

Last week, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to resolve a civil suit filed by by U.S. President Donald Trump against Paramount-owned CBS News.

This week, Weiss and Ellison are attending the annual Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley, the NYT report said.

Skydance and The Free Press did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The Free Press has more than 30 investors, including Yael Aflalo, the founder of Reformation, and Bobby Kotick, the former chief executive of Activision Blizzard, the report added.

(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

((HarshitaMary.Varghese@thomsonreuters.com;))