Antitrust Trial Over Paramount-Warner Merger Set for March
The states’ antitrust case could delay the $108.4 billion takeover until June 2027, even after federal and European approvals.
- A coalition of state attorneys general sued to block Paramount Skydance's $108.4 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín scheduling a 12-court-day antitrust trial beginning Tuesday, March 2, 2027.
- Paramount initially planned to close the deal by September 30th, but the lawsuit forced the companies to delay finalization to as late as June 2027, creating mounting financial pressure through an approximate $7 million daily 'ticking fee.'
- On Tuesday, Paramount reported $6.91 billion in second-quarter revenue and raised full-year 2026 adjusted earnings guidance to $3.8 billion to $3.9 billion, while Paramount+ added 2 million subscribers to reach 81.6 million total.
- CEO David Ellison reiterated confidence in the merger Tuesday, stating the combined company will be 'better positioned to compete with companies like Netflix' and benefit consumers, creators, and theater exhibitors despite the trial delay.
- Although the Department of Justice and regulators in 24 jurisdictions cleared the transaction, state-level opposition remains the primary obstacle, with pretrial deadlines set for August 13, 2026 and a final conference scheduled for February 24, 2027.
101 Articles
101 Articles
Antitrust Judge Gives Bad News to Paramount in WB Merger Fight
The proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery has encountered another major roadblock. Paramount Skydance will have to wait until March 2027 to defend its proposed acquisition of WB at trial, dealing the company a costly setback in its effort to complete the massive merger. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín rejected Paramount’s request to begin the antitrust trial in November. Instead, the Biden-appointed…
Paramount’s Merger With Warner Bros. Discovery Faces Fresh Uncertainty Over $7 Million Daily Fee
Beginning October 1, Paramount will have to pay Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders $7 million a day if its proposed merger is not completed by then, adding new financial pressure to finalize the transaction. The merger, which was announced as a major shake-up in the media industry, would combine Paramount with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. However, the deal has been delayed after several US states filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block t…
Cindy Holland's Paramount Strategy Takes Shape — Deal or No Deal
I wrote about how the delayed Paramount deal has opened a WBD exec poaching season, interviewed Furious showrunner Liz Meriwether and broke down the industry debate over Netflix’s binge model. SUBSCRIBE Since a pair of antitrust lawsuits formally delayed Paramount’s $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, David Ellison’s streaming platform, Paramount+, has announced two new scripted originals: a Clueless sequel and Ascent, a thrill…
RECIT - An unpredictable trial, which will begin in March, has come to freeze the process that was to be completed in September. The marriage is postponed to June 2027, if everything goes well...
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