Judge Denies Bid to Halt $110 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Jul 16
Judge Denies Bid to Halt $110 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Jul 16
Summary
A federal judge refused to temporarily block Paramount’s proposed $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, ruling consumers had not shown likely success or irreparable harm.
Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín also took Paramount’s motion to dismiss under advisement and rejected the subscribers’ request for expedited discovery.
Five pay-TV and streaming subscribers sued in April, arguing the deal would raise prices and reduce viewpoint diversity; their lawyer pointed to a Paramount+ price increase after Skydance acquired Paramount last year.
Paramount countered that any earlier price hike could not be tied to a merger that has not closed and said the plaintiffs had identified no concrete injury.
The ruling leaves a separate antitrust challenge from California and 11 other states as the next immediate test, with a hearing on their temporary restraining order set for Friday.