States sue to stop Paramount-Warner Bros blockbuster merger [View all]
Source: NPR
July 13, 2026 12:30 PM ET
A dozen states, led by California, are suing to block Paramount from buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood mega-merger that would unite some of the nation's largest movie studios, television newsrooms, and other entertainment properties.
"The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement announcing the suit, which was filed in federal court in California's Northern District.
The deal would give a wealthy family that has taken pains to show its allegiance to President Trump the effective ownership of the companies' competing movie studios, streamers (Paramount+ and HBO Max), sports programming (CBS Sports and Turner Sports) and news divisions (CBS News and CNN) as well as a suite of cable channels, such as Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, TNT, TBS, HGTV and Discovery, among others.
The president has repeatedly praised Larry and David Ellison, the digital titan and his son who are the controlling owners of Paramount. And he has publicly urged the sale of Warner's CNN to new owners. "We're trying to have CNN go in a normal path," Trump told CNN anchor Jake Tapper yesterday at the end of an interview about the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. In his statement Monday, Bonta said, "With this lawsuit, California and our sister states are fighting for free and fair markets, not rigged markets. America has no kings in government or our economy."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/13/nx-s1-5879286/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-lawsuit
Link to AG Bonta PRESS RELEASE - Attorney General Bonta Files Lawsuit to Block $110 Billion Warner Bros./Paramount Merger
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Redacted%20Paramount%20Warner%20complaint%20%20-%20file%20stamped.pdf
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143694578
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