Paramount joined 12 states in asking a federal court to relate their antitrust suit over its $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger to an earlier Paramount+ subscriber case.
The move would likely put both cases before Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in Oakland, who already handles the subscriber suit and is set to hear injunction and dismissal motions on Thursday.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s coalition filed the merger challenge on Monday and is also seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction to stop the deal from closing.
The states argue the merger would hurt competition and raise prices, while saying one judge should handle both cases for efficiency.
Before the relation request, the new state case had been randomly assigned to Judge P. Casey Pitts, who is already weighing another multistate antitrust challenge to HPE’s $14 billion Juniper deal.
Could blocking the Paramount-WBD merger inadvertently strengthen the dominance of streaming giants like Netflix and Disney?
With media giants pledging more content after mergers, why do prices often rise while choices shrink for viewers?
Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s $111 Billion Merger: DOJ Approval Sparks State Antitrust Showdown
Overview
In June 2026, the Department of Justice approved the $110 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, stating it would not harm competition or consumers. This decision allowed the merger to move forward, combining major studios, streaming services, and news networks. However, just weeks later, a coalition of 12 U.S. states filed a lawsuit to block the deal, arguing it would reduce competition and hurt consumers. This state-level challenge highlights a sharp disagreement with the federal approval and creates significant uncertainty for the future of the merger and the broader media industry.