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Judge Approves Paramount's Settlement with States over Warner Buyout, Allowing Merger to Soon Close

The agreement imposes five-year production and editorial safeguards, including 30 films a year and a CNN oversight board, after states alleged antitrust harms.

  • On Wednesday, District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin approved a legal settlement between Paramount and 12 state attorneys general, removing the final hurdle for its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
  • California Attorney General Rob Bonta had led a lawsuit to block the merger, citing concerns that the deal would reduce competition and imperil the journalistic independence of CNN and CBS News.
  • Under the terms, Paramount committed to invest $1.5 billion in U.S. film and TV production over five years, release at least 30 films annually, and establish editorial oversight boards for CNN and CBS News.
  • Leadership changes began Tuesday as Cindy Holland, chair of Paramount's Direct-to-Consumer business, departed, leaving HBO CEO Casey Bloys to lead combined streaming operations amid a $7 million daily ticking fee if unclosed past October 1.
  • Paramount is now moving to finalize the transaction, executing a $44 billion bond offering and preparing to transfer its Class B stock from Nasdaq to the New York Stock Exchange on October 5.
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The American Court of Justice has removed the last legal obstacle to the purchase by Paramount Skydance of the Warner Bros. Discovery Media Conglomerate. The Northern District Court of California has approved a settlement agreement between Paramount Skydance and a group of Attorneys Generals of the 12 U.S. states, transmitting TASS. "The Court finds that the proposed settlement constitutes a reasonable factual and legal solution to the dispute .…

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An American judge has ratified the settlement between twelve states and media company Paramount Skydance. With this, the last major legal hurdle for Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has also been cleared. The states feared that the new mega-corporation would gain too much power and could thereby raise the prices of films and television. There were also concerns about the consequences of the merger for employees. Last week, Para…

·Hilversum, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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Reuters broke the news in London, United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
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