Jul. 13—OLYMPIA — Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown said Monday that a proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount would "raise prices, reduce consumer choice, and cost many Americans their jobs" as he announced a lawsuit to block the deal. Brown joined 11 other state attorneys general who allege the proposed merger would reduce competition for licensing basic ...
News
High-signal headlines only - macro events, earnings, M&A, regulatory. Listicles and analyst clickbait filtered out by default. Refreshed hourly.
Led by California, the states argue the deal is anticompetitive, would harm theaters and lead to price increases for TV bundles.
Twelve US states have sued to block Paramount from acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery in a $110bn deal. The states argued cinemas and moviegoers could face higher prices if the merger goes ahead, as Paramount and Warner Bros. currently compete for the best release dates and screens at thousands of cinemas across the US. The lawsuit represents a significant obstacle for the deal, which is seen as one of the biggest media mergers in history.
The merger "would extinguish competition between Paramount and Warner Bros. and inflict substantial harm on movie theatres, basic cable distributors, and, ultimately, audiences nationwide," 12 state attorneys general allege in a complaint filed Monday.
Paramount Skydance's (PSKY) proposed acquisition of fellow media and entertainment giant Warner Bros

<body><p>STORY: :: California and 11 states are suing to block Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros</p><p>:: Los Angeles, California / July 13, 2026</p><p>:: Rob Bonta, California Attorney General</p><p>"We're here, I'm here to announce a lawsuit that I filed, and that a coalition of 12 states have filed challenging the proposed merger of Paramount, Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery and asking the court to block the merger from moving forward." // "This $110 billion proposed merger, the largest merger in Hollywood history, would extinguish competition. It would result in higher prices, lower content quality and fewer movies and TV shows." // As our complaint makes clear, this deal is illegal under the Clayton Act. That is a law that has been on the books for over 100 years. It prevents mergers that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly."</p><p>The lawsuit is a serious threat to Paramount CEO David Ellison's bid to transform his company into a major competitor to Netflix and Disney.</p><p>If allowed to move forward with the deal, Paramount would control 27% of the distribution market for films that appear on screens across America, 30% of blockbuster film distribution and 27% of the market for basic cable channels, the states said.</p><p>It will likely take months for a ruling on the states' claims, causing a delay that could rack up hundreds of millions of dollars in costs for Paramount.</p><p>The deal has led to an outcry from actors, writers, and others fearing it will hurt jobs. Theater owners also opposed the deal, worrying the combination of the Warner Bros movie studio with Paramount Pictures would result in fewer films.</p><p>Paramount said the lawsuit distorts settled antitrust law and is based on a misrepresentation of competition in the entertainment industry.</p></body>
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading a coalition of 12 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount.
(Updates with Paramount Skydance's statement in the fourth and fifth paragraphs.) Paramount Skyda
Investing.com -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday led a coalition of 12 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block Paramount Skydance's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the deal would unlawfully reduce competition across the U.S. film and television industry.

Investors are still waiting for the Paramount (PSKY)–Warner Bros. (WBD) merger to finalize. Morgan Stanley head of media & entertainment and cable & telecom equity research, Sean Diffley, chats with Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi about AI's impact on the creative process, his outlook for streaming, and more.
(Updates with a response from the Attorney General's office in the second last paragraph.) Paramo
Closing Timeline Extended Pending Regulatory ReviewParamount (NASDAQ:PSKY) has confirmed that it will not complete its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros (NASDAQ:WBD) before 22 July, extending the expected closing timeline by at least another week as Oregon authorities continue reviewing the transaction. The announcement follows action by the Oregon Attorney General’s office, which disclosed the revised timetable on Wednesday.
Paramount's (PSKY) $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) could be faced with laws
Reuters said late Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter, that U.S. states are concerned the acquisition will hurt competition and are considering suing to block the deal as soon as next week.
(Updates with quotes from Secretary Lisa Nandy and Paramount throughout the story.) Paramount Sky
One of the biggest media deals in history is inching toward the finish line. But first, Paramount Skydance must clear a significant hurdle in Europe. The proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance (PSKY) is valued at $110 billion, Bloomberg confirmed. It would ...
Paramount Skydance (PSKY) is prepared to sell its film distribution joint venture with Universal Pic
Career antitrust lawyers were leaning toward recommending a lawsuit when senior DOJ officials closed the investigation and cleared the $110 billion deal
The Trump administration has given the green light for Paramount Skydance to take over Warner Bros. Discovery in a mega-merger that will reshape Hollywood.
As expected, the U.S. Justice Department gave its consent for the blockbuster merger expected to reshape Hollywood.
As expected, the U.S. Justice Department gave its consent for the blockbuster merger expected to reshape Hollywood
The Justice Department has approved Paramount Skydance's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, as expected.