Paramount settles with California, other states over Warner Bros merger: Report
The settlement removes a major antitrust hurdle and adds production and editorial safeguards as the combined company moves toward closing.
- On Monday, September 21, 2026, Paramount Skydance settled antitrust lawsuits with 12 states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Writers Guild of America, clearing the final major hurdle for its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
- In July, Bonta and a coalition of 11 other states sued to block the merger, alleging the combined company would violate the Clayton Antitrust Act by extinguishing competition in theatrical distribution and cable markets.
- The settlement requires the merged entity to release 30 films annually for two years, then 32 thereafter, and invest at least $1.5 billion in domestic production over five years. Paramount must also establish a News Editorial Independence Board for CBS News and CNN.
- Paramount avoids paying a $7 million daily ticking fee owed to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders past the October 1 deadline, though the agreement still requires final approval from a federal judge.
- Critics remain skeptical the News Editorial Independence Board will prove effective, citing past failed attempts at similar structures. The company must also pay $47.5 million into a workforce fund for employees displaced by the merger and submit to independent monitoring.
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States fold in Paramount-Warner Bros merger lawsuit, broadcast media will consolidate under Trump ally: The twelve states suing to stop the creation of a broadcast media monopoly allied to the president decided actually, it’s OK, announcing a settlement Monday greenlighting the merger. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a press release that the settlement […]
The public prosecutors of twelve US states, who sought to prevent the acquisition of film studio Warner Bros. by media conglomerate Paramount through the courts, have settled the case. This clears the way for one of the largest mergers in American history, much to the displeasure of many in Hollywood.
US media giant Paramount has settled a lawsuit with several US states, paving the way for the company to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal will bring two Hollywood mainstays under the control of the Ellison family.
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