Court Ruling Freezes Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger for Now
Paramount's owners were planning to have secured firm control of Hollywood rival Warner Bros. Discovery by the end of this week.
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lamplighter
Joined 2013/04/13Visited 2026/07/23
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Judge Temporarily Pauses Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/b ... [image or embed] -- Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) 1:51 PM · Jul 20, 2026
Judge Temporarily Pauses Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/b ... [image or embed]
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More from the artcile ...
... On Monday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order to the states to pause the acquisition. The attorneys general allege Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. would reduce competition, hurting filmgoers, TV and news consumers and especially those who create the entertainment and other content they rely on. The $111 billion deal would unite Paramount and Warner Bros. movie and television studios, streamers Paramount+ and HBO Max, the nation's most-watched broadcast outlet (CBS) with 50 cable channels, and CNN and CBS News under the same roof. "This is a critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement issued to the press. ...
The $111 billion deal would unite Paramount and Warner Bros. movie and television studios, streamers Paramount+ and HBO Max, the nation's most-watched broadcast outlet (CBS) with 50 cable channels, and CNN and CBS News under the same roof.
"This is a critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement issued to the press. ...
#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-20 02:50 PM | Reply
The best part of all this?
Due to uncertainty, a lot of production has been put on hold.
Further deteriorating "Hollywood".
#2 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-07-20 03:26 PM | Reply
From what I've heard this current stop lasts 14 days, during which time there will be a hearing to decide whether a longer stop should be put into place. That longer stop would allow for agruments for and against the merger. And a decision.
#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-20 06:49 PM | Reply
More from the article:
President Donald Trump had made clear he wanted the Ellison family " Paramount chief executive David Ellison and his father, Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison " in charge of CNN. "It's imperative that CNN be sold," Trump said last December, signaling his preference for Paramount's bid. The Trump administration's Justice Department cleared the merger in June without requiring Paramount to sell any assets or make any other concessions, CNN reported. Judge Martnez-Olgun was unconvinced the deal was legal. Under antitrust law, a merger that concentrates a market is presumed unlawful " the company must prove the deal is safe, not the other way around. The combined firm would control roughly 27% of the wide-release theatrical film market, she found, with market concentration spiking by approximately 359 points on the standard industry measure. The ruling applied a long-standing legal standard: the proposed merger was "so inherently likely to lessen competition substantially that it must be enjoined."
"It's imperative that CNN be sold," Trump said last December, signaling his preference for Paramount's bid. The Trump administration's Justice Department cleared the merger in June without requiring Paramount to sell any assets or make any other concessions, CNN reported.
Judge Martnez-Olgun was unconvinced the deal was legal. Under antitrust law, a merger that concentrates a market is presumed unlawful " the company must prove the deal is safe, not the other way around.
The combined firm would control roughly 27% of the wide-release theatrical film market, she found, with market concentration spiking by approximately 359 points on the standard industry measure.
The ruling applied a long-standing legal standard: the proposed merger was "so inherently likely to lessen competition substantially that it must be enjoined."
#4 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-07-21 12:56 AM | Reply
... Judge Blocks Paramount purchase of Warner Bros-Discovery ...
The lock is only for 14 days, allowing for arguments from both sides to be presented in Court.
I am not a lawyer, so, YMMV.
#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-21 01:19 AM | Reply
Can't have propaganda without controlling the media.
#6 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-07-21 03:25 AM | Reply
Saw this today ...
EU approves Paramount's $81 billion Warner Bros. mega merger deal with conditions economictimes.indiatimes.com
... The European Union approved Paramount's Warner Bros. Discovery takeover with specific distribution conditions. This approval clears a major regulatory hurdle for the significant media merger. However, a US federal judge has temporarily halted the transaction for two weeks. This pause stems from a lawsuit filed by eleven US states seeking to block the deal. Paramount has received other international regulatory clearances while facing ongoing US legal challenges. ...
This approval clears a major regulatory hurdle for the significant media merger. However, a US federal judge has temporarily halted the transaction for two weeks.
This pause stems from a lawsuit filed by eleven US states seeking to block the deal. Paramount has received other international regulatory clearances while facing ongoing US legal challenges. ...
#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-22 09:53 PM | Reply
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