Paramount Weighs Leaving California Over $110 Billion WBD Deal Fight

3 articles · Updated · Semafor · Jul 12

$30 billion in planned annual spending could be shifted out of California if Attorney General Rob Bonta sues to block Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, according to people familiar with the talks.
David Ellison’s advisers have urged him to consider moving Paramount’s headquarters and expanding elsewhere, though no decision has been made and Ellison himself is said to be wary of leaving California.
Paramount has tried to win state approval by offering a consent decree to produce 30 films a year, keep a 45-day theatrical and 90-day streaming window, and keep both studio lots operating in California.
Bonta has publicly cited concerns about job losses and higher prices, while Paramount argues the combined company would help stem California’s production exodus and protect more than 50,000 jobs against larger rivals like Netflix and Amazon.