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Investing.com -- Seaport Research Partners downgraded Warner Bros Discovery to Neutral from Buy, arguing that a prolonged delay to its proposed acquisition by Paramount Skydance reduces the attractiveness of the stock despite potential upside if the transaction is ultimately completed. The downgrade follows Paramount Skydance's decision to put the acquisition on hold until as late as June 1, 2027, as it seeks to address legal challenges from the Writers Guild and several U.S. state attorneys gen

Steer clear of the entertainment company’s shares for now—there’s just not enough regulatory clarity for investors.

The companies can’t combine yet, meaning promised cost savings and strategic moves are on hold while rivals push ahead.

Morningstar analyst views potential $2 billion costs as manageable.

Jul. 24—OLYMPIA — The Paramount Skydance planned merger with Warner Bros. has been halted as a federal judge considers whether the deal violates antitrust laws and unfairly reduces market competition. A lawyer representing the company wrote in a court filing Friday that the deal would not move forward until June 1, 2027 unless a federal judge rules on a case brought by Washington and 11 other ...

Paramount Skydance has formally agreed to delay its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery until at least June 2027.

Paramount Skydance on Friday said it would delay the deal until as late as June 2027.

Paramount Skydance agreed on Friday to delay its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros.Paramount agreed to delay the deal through June 2027, the company said in a court filing on Friday.

Paramount Skydance agreed to postpone closing its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery until five days after a state antitrust case opposing the deal is resolved or until June 2027, when its merger agreement expires.

Paramount said Friday it will not move forward with its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery until legal challenges to the deal are resolved or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first. The concession is the latest blow to the $81 billion merger between entertainment giants Paramount and Warner, which is being challenged on antitrust grounds by 12 states and the Writers Guild of America, who argue the deal is anticompetitive. Paramount’s decision came after a California federal court had granted a temporary restraining order stopping the deal from closing in 28 days.

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) agreed to delay its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) until June 2027 after 12 attorneys general sued to block the massive media merger.

Paramount on Friday agreed to delay closing its $81 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery well into next year, as a judge continues to consider a challenge from 12 states seeking to block the deal altogether. In a court filing, Paramount said it wouldn’t close the merger until either a court ruling is made on the merits of the states’ lawsuit or June 1, 2027. The move arrives just days after U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order to freeze the transaction for several weeks, ruling that the states had raised some “serious questions” and a strong case about the merger's potential to “substantially lessen competition.”

Investing.com -- Paramount said Friday it agreed to halt its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery until June 1, 2027, or until a federal judge rules on a lawsuit filed by state attorneys general seeking to block the deal.

According to a court filing from Friday, the companies have agreed to pause the transaction until five days after the court issues a final decision on the merger, or until June 1, 2027.

By Jody Godoy July 24 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance has agreed to pause its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

By Jody Godoy July 23 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance must pause its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery through August 17, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.

WASHINGTON—Merging companies will get a shortcut to ending antitrust investigations under a Justice Department change meant to make the government review process less burdensome for businesses. The department’s antitrust division plans to announce on Thursday a new model for streamlining merger reviews that would quickly focus on the most apparent ways a deal might diminish competition, according to department officials. Antitrust enforcers won’t use the targeted approach in every case, but the process will allow some deals to clear federal scrutiny earlier, the officials said.

The European Union approved Paramount's $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery this week, effectively clearing another regulatory hurdle for a mega merger that could vastly reshape the entertainment and media landscape worldwide. The European Commission — which serves as the EU's antitrust enforcer — said that even with a Paramount-Warner combo, enough competitors would exist across markets like film production and streaming in its 27-nation bloc. To address this, the Commission said Skydance-owned Paramount agreed to end its European Economic Area stake in United International Pictures — a longstanding venture with another major studio, Universal, that Paramount has used to distribute films in theaters outside North America.

Commitment to terminate its stake in European distribution venture with Universal Pictures eased regulators’ concerns.

Paramount’s $81 billion bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery was approved by the European Union on Wednesday after the companies offered concessions. In order to ease regulators’ concerns, Paramount offered commitments including that it would terminate its stake in United International Pictures in the European Economic Area within 13 months from the deal’s closing.

Federal judge pauses the merger as states seek an antitrust trial that could extend into next April.

Most large mergers do not die in a courtroom. They die of exhaustion. The lawyers stay expensive. The financing goes stale. The executives who staked their reputations on the thing start quietly updating their contact lists, and one morning somebody runs the numbers and decides the prize is no ...

Federal judge pauses merger pending antitrust reviewThe proposed merger between Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) and Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) has encountered a significant legal hurdle after a US federal judge temporarily halted the transaction, casting uncertainty over a deal valued at approximately $100 billion.

(Bloomberg) -- Paramount Skydance Corp. was on the brink of closing its blockbuster $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. Now the companies are facing a legal hurdle that risks putting the deal on hold for months at a cost that could quickly climb to billions of dollars. Most Read from BloombergSaudi-Led Coalition in Yemen Vows to Protect Ships From HouthisUS Strikes Iran in Escalating Campaign After Troops KilledIran Says Mediators Stepping In After Days of US ClashesMoonshot’s K

On July 20, 2026, a California federal judge halted the $110 billion acquisition for at least 14 days, extending legal uncertainty around the merger.

CNN Media Analyst Sara Fischer reacts to the decision.

A federal judge imposed a 14-day pause, with an Aug. 3 hearing set to review the merger challenge.

The ruling comes after a coalition of 12 states sued to block the deal, arguing it would harm consumers and the entertainment industry.

Last week, a coalition of 12 attorneys general filed a lawsuit that challenges the $110 billion acquisition, arguing that the deal.

Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín’s Monday ruling puts the deal on hold for two weeks while she considers a broader antitrust legal challenge brought by a coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta.