EXCLUSIVE: As Hollywood prepares to celebrate Yom Kippur at sundown tonight, a framework for a settlement of the antitrust suit hampering Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery has hit some political potholes on the way to what some hoped would be a quick deal. Four of the 12 Attorneys General that took the […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten21 Sept
On Sunday, settlement talks between Paramount and the state attorneys general that sued to block its Warner Bros. Discovery deal continued — but there was no resolution by the end of the day. But while California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the 12-state coalition’s antitrust litigation, is said to be open to considering […]
Variety•Todd Spangler21 Sept
Mark Ruffalo is begging California not to settle their anti-trust lawsuit with Paramount ... as the studio seeks to take over Warner Bros. Discovery. Tagging in California Attorney General Rob Bonta ... he told the official ... "Don't you dare ...…
TMZ•TMZ Staff20 Sept
They’re talking! Or are they? And what are they actually talking about? Does everyone need to chill out? Paramount and state Attorneys General are talking, we are told. However, the discussions that are occurring over coming to a deal in the battle over Paramount’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery are far from advanced. […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten18 Sept
David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is in “advanced talks” with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to settle the 12-state antitrust suit that’s holding up its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing anonymous sources. A Paramount spokesperson declined to comment. A rep for Bonta’s office said, “Potential settlement talks are confidential. […]
Variety•Todd Spangler18 Sept
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved Paramount’s petition to allow 49.5% of its equity to be held by foreign entities once the Warner Bros. Discovery deal is complete. Paramount owns 28 TV stations, and thus must get the FCC’s approval for foreign ownership over 25%. Its acquisition of WBD is backed by three Gulf […]
Variety•Gmaddaus17 Sept
The FCC Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery cleared an FCC review of its foreign ownership stake. Paramount has disclosed that total foreign ownership of the combined company would be 49.5%, including 38.5% from investment funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Paramount had petitioned the FCC to sign off on the foreign […]
Deadline•Ted Johnson17 Sept
“We, respectfully, didn’t think that the United States DOJ did an adequate review, and we thought we needed to step in to make sure we were protecting consumers,” California AG Rob Bonta said of a lawsuit that’s rocking Hollywood after 12 attorneys general sued to block Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. He was dinging […]
Deadline•Jillg36617 Sept
Paramount has been threatening to leave California since July, when the state sued to block it from merging with Warner Bros. Discovery. Attorney General Rob Bonta has called it “blackmail” meant to stop him from enforcing antitrust law. But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, for one, is taking the threat seriously and is trying to […]
Variety•Gmaddaus16 Sept
Leaks out of David Ellison’s inner circle said the CEO would take his Paramount ball and leave California if state Attorneys General didn’t back off on their antitrust suit to stop the $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery. And now it looks like the ball really is in play. After over 100 years, Paramount […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten16 Sept
Paramount and the State Attorneys General suing to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery were ordered by a judge to appear for a two-day settlement conference Oct. 14-15 in a San Francisco courtroom. It’s a mandated step for two sides approaching a trial, set in this case for early March, and doesn’t mean there’s […]
Deadline•Jillg36616 Sept
Surprising no one except for the timing, Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has weighed in on the $1.88 billion bond battle between David Ellison’s Paramount and a dozen blue states over the $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery. Disputing the very right of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, New York’s Letitia James and others […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten15 Sept
When long-running BBC comedy show “Mock the Week” returned to television screens after a three-year hiatus this past spring, fans may have noticed some changes: not only was the show longer and “looser” but it was also airing on TLC, the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network. “It was also a surprise for me that it was […]
Variety•K.J. Yossman14 Sept
There will be harsh job losses and severe economic pain if Paramount carries out its threat to leave California over the antitrust action a coalition of blue state Attorneys General are pursuing to stop David Ellison’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery, an internal L.A. County report estimates. “At a minimum, relocating Paramount’s headquarters […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten12 Sept
Paramount’s lawyers filed a legal response to the states’ antitrust lawsuit against the Warner Bros. Discovery merger on Friday, sketching out arguments and defenses it may use at a trial next March. Among other defenses, Paramount’s lawyers said they may claim that the coalition of 12 states lacks the authority to regulate the merger, “which […]
Variety•Gmaddaus12 SeptTrick or treat? Paramount Skydance and the coalition of a dozen state Attorneys General fighting to stop David Ellison’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros Discovery will be having settlement talks after all. Well, settlement-ish talks, Under the routine procedure of the federal court system, a judge in Oakland today instructed the battling parties to […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten11 Sept
While Paramount CEO David Ellison grapples to take control of Warner Bros Discovery, he should be mindful to remember the architects in addition to the architecture. In other words, in the pursuit of merging content, be careful not to throw out those who shepherded it. No, that wasn’t the exact pitch nor message from Warner […]
Deadline•Anthonypauldalessandro11 Sept
Just under two years after Dan Schneider was given a green light on his Quiet on Set defamation lawsuit against Warner Bros Discovery and others, a trio of appeal judges just handed the former Nickelodeon producer a big defeat. Slamming Schneider for relying on “a theory of defamation by implication,” the Golden State’s Second District […]
Deadline•Dominic Patten11 Sept
The Briefing ☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today’s email: 🔥 Featured story A federal judge this week placed a temporary restraining order on Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery after 12 states filed a lawsuit alleging that the deal violates antitrust law. If […]
A federal judge weighs a temporary restraining order on the $110B Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, with a ruling due July 22, 2026.
CryptoBriefing•Editorial Team20 Jul