Paramount‘s antitrust commitments in the UK to secure approval for its $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal strengthens the hand of the 12 state attorneys general suing to block the merger.
That’s the view of Block the Merger, a creative industries coalition that has come together to campaign against the union between Paramount and Warner. The coalition has won the support of The Traitors host Alan Cumming, as well as industry groups including the Archival Producers Alliance and the International Documentary Association.
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In a statement following the UK government’s decision to greenlight WarnerMount, Block the Merger said: “UK Secretary Nandy’s ability to obtain major concessions from Paramount lends powerful credibility to the case 12 state attorneys general have brought here in the U.S.
“If this merger required binding remedies even in the UK, where Paramount and Warner hold a far weaker market position and the CMA has grown reluctant to block big mergers, the dangers in the more concentrated U.S. market are unmistakable.”
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Paramount has agreed to a “deed of covenant” with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. This includes a commitment not to combine linear channels with its streaming services and maintain the editorial independence of its news services and children’s networks.
The commitments, which come into effect once the transaction completes and will remain in force for five years, will ensure that Channel 5 News’ editorial direction remains entirely separate from CBS News and CNN International. Fair access to the CNN, CBS, and Channel 5 archives was also an undertaking.
Block the Merger said these were “encouraging” but not “the whole fight.” The group added: “Our position remains the same – the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is a dangerous consolidation that will harm film, entertainment, and independent press in markets around the world. State attorneys general hold independent authority to enforce antitrust laws, and we are confident they will prevail at trial and fully block this merger.”
The U.S. lawsuit will go to trial in March 2027. Attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, allege that the transaction stifles competition across wide-release theatrical film distribution, big-budget blockbusters, and basic cable television channel licensing.
George Orwell would be chuckling over the use of the words “Strengthen the hand” in this statement from the “Block the Merger” group. The simple truth is the attorney general’s lawsuit to stop the merger is now on life support. All regulatory authorities on the planet have now approved the merger. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has called on the AGs to settle this lawsuit ASAP. The CEOs of the two largest movie theater operators (Regal & AMC) have called for the lawsuit to end for the sake of the newly resurgent movie industry. The heads of A-24 and Lionsgate studios have called for the lawsuit to be dropped so creative dealmaking could resume producing jobs for the industry. Everyone now knows, if the lawsuit goes to trial, the AGs will have their hats handed to them – they will lose and lose badly. Get to work AGs! End this now.
Calling this lawsuit “on life support” ignores what actually happened in federal court.
The AGs already scored a major win – Federal Judge Martínez-Olguín didn’t just grant a temporary pause—she explicitly wrote that based on combined market share alone, “the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws.” Paramount didn’t concede to delay closing until trial or mid-2027 out of charity; they did it because they were facing a devastating injunction ruling.
DOJ approval isn’t a free pass – Under Section 7 of the Clayton Act (California v. American Stores Co.), state AGs have full legal authority to block consolidation in their local economies. Controlling over 30% of theatrical film distribution and nearly one-third of basic cable isn’t “healthy competition”—it’s a textbook monopoly/duopoly threat.
Hollywood isn’t united behind this – Theater chains and legacy studio CEOs always lobby for quick financial deals, but creative workers are actively fighting it. The Writers Guild of America filed its own suit because combining these giants hands 35% to 38% of film and TV writing jobs to a single gatekeeper, slashing positions and depressing pay.
Time is on the AGs’ side, not Paramount’s – Starting October 1st, every 90-day delay costs Paramount roughly $650 million in ticking fees to WBD. The AGs don’t need to hurry—the longer this litigation drags into 2027, the more pressure builds on Paramount’s bottom line.
The AGs aren’t losing; they’ve already forced Paramount into a multi-billion-dollar corner.
This same group was silent when it looked like Netflix was about to successfully buy Warner
No, the same people spoke against Netflix acquisition too. It didn’t go to court because the deal fell through. Paramount deal only went to court after the shareholder vote. Facts are your friend.