EntertainmentBusinessNewsParamount settles lawsuit blocking $110 billion Warner Bros. mergerThis settlement will resolve the antitrust lawsuit filed by California, New York, Washington, and several other states to block Paramount’s big deal.This settlement will resolve the antitrust lawsuit filed by California, New York, Washington, and several other states to block Paramount’s big deal.by Emma RothSep 21, 2026, 5:42 PM UTCShareGiftImage: The VergePart OfNetflix isn’t buying Warner Bros, Paramount issee all updates Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.Paramount has reached a settlement with California and the 11 other states that sued to block its planned $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The settlement removes a major roadblock standing in the way of the massive media merger.Paramount Chairman & CEO David Ellison:We are grateful to Attorney General Bonta and his fellow AGs, as well as the WGA, for engaging in good faith to find a path forward to a resolution that serves all parties, and to Governor Newsom for his support throughout this process.
Our shared aim was an outcome that best serves consumers, workers and — most importantly — the creative community so vital to the art of visual storytelling. We’re confident this agreement does exactly that, memorializing a series of commitments that include 30+ films annually and expanded U.S. film production to help revitalize our industry here at home.Our goal has always been to build a stronger Hollywood — one with more stories told, greater choice for consumers and stronger competition. That vision was validated by unanimous approval from competition authorities in nearly 70 jurisdictions worldwide, who agreed this deal is pro-competitive, pro-consumer and pro-worker. Having now addressed the State AGs’ and WGA’s concerns, we have complete clearance for this merger and look forward to putting these commitments into action.
Bringing Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery together will build that stronger Hollywood, creating expanded opportunity for our people and even more great entertainment for audiences around the world.The settlement comes just days before Paramount’s “ticking fee” was set to go into effect, which would require the entertainment giant to pay WBD shareholders 25 cents per share for each quarter the deal is delayed past September 30th. The fee would’ve cost Paramount about $7 million per day.RelatedCan Paramount break the Warner Bros. curse?Though the Trump administration signed off on the $110 billion merger, California, along with Arizona, Colorado, New York, Washington, and others, sued Paramount and WBD in July over antitrust concerns. They claimed the megamerger would create a “media behemoth” that would “inflict substantial harm” on the entertainment industry.
A judge granted the states’ request to pause the merger shortly after.Developing…Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Emma RothBusinessEntertainmentFilmNewsParamount has reportedly reached a settlement with the state AGs blocking its Warner Bros. merger.Stevie BonifieldTwo hours agoParamount and WBD’s antitrust trial is set for March 2027.Emma RothAug 4Paramount Skydance agrees to hold off on closing its Warner Bros. Discovery merger for up to a year.Richard LawlerJul 24Most PopularA24’s reputation is on the line with the SCP Foundation movieiPhone owners can now submit claims in Apple’s $250 million Siri AI settlementI got to see Google’s wild ideas about the future of laptopsThe long dream of the GooglebookAll roads lead to cableAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
