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Paramount Shareholders Sue David and Larry Ellison over “Illegal” Deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

It hasn’t been a good week for the Ellisons and Paramount Skydance with multiple lawsuits being filed regarding their attempted takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. This week, a dozen attorneys general sued claiming antitrust violations and the Writers Guild of America stepped in with a lawsuit of their own. Now, shareholders of Paramount are suing saying the father/son duo cut an “illegal” deal with President Donald Trump to secure the government’s approval of the takeover. Trump’s government approved the deal in June though there’s been some concerns raised about the approval process.

The shareholder lawsuit is attempting to block the $111 billion merger along with unspecified monetary damages. The lawsuit claims that the Ellisons promised “illegal private benefits” to President Trump in exchange for the government approval.

That side deal would include funneling money to Trump by settling his legal claims against CNN as well as firing CNN anchors Trump does not like.

The lawsuit states:

The Ellisons’ actions not only harm the reputations of the news outlets they currently own, which are hemorrhaging viewers, but they are latent liabilities waiting to be triggered by a future administration.

Paramount has responded through a spokesperson:

This lawsuit recycles allegations that have already been reported and already addressed. As we’ve said consistently: no commitments from either David or Larry Ellison have been made to any government body, State AG, or federal agency regarding the future of CNN or any other news property, other than the goal to deliver truth-based journalism.

The Warner Bros. Discovery transaction stands on its own merits. Combining these two libraries and platforms gives consumers more choice, not less — greater investment in original programming, a stronger competitor to streaming rivals, and a more durable footing for journalism and storytelling alike. We remain confident in the merger’s fundamentals and will continue toward closing.

The lawsuit not only names the Ellisons but also includes Paramount Skydance board members: Gerry Cardinale, Safra Catz, Andrew Brandon-Gordon, Paul Marinelli, John Thornton, Barbara Byrne, Andrew Campion, Justin Hamill and Sherry Lansing.

Paramount Skydance also faces a hurdle in the European Commission and the U.K. The company has attempted to address EU competition concerns such as ending a film distribution venture it has with Universe Pictures. The European Commission has extended its deadline for its decision from July 7 to July 22.

Paramount Skydance wants the deal to close before September 1, 2026 or the cost will increase the longer it drags on. The price increases 25 cents per share per quarter it’s not approved. That would add $627 million to the cost of the overall deal each quarter, or roughly $7 million per day. This lawsuit will likely drag on for months if it moves forward making it unlikely the deal will close by that date. The company has said delays could force it to renegotiate the deal’s financing, cause uncertainty for its stock price, or end the the transaction altogether.

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The WGA has filed a lawsuit to Block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

Things are heating up when it comes to the Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Yesterday, a dozen attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop the merger. On the same day, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East also filed a lawsuit to block the proposed merger.

In the complaint, the WGA states the merger would reduce opportunities, lower pay, and worsen working conditions for writers. They also state the merger would reduce output as well as suppress competition for writers’ work.

The WGA complaint focuses on the anticompetitive effects of the merger in three markets for writing services: anticipated top grossing films, episodic television and streaming series, and overall deals.

In June, the White House and the Department of Justice approved the merger. Oregon has been investigating Paramount Skydance’s “Project Warrior” which was focused on winning approval for the deal. They recently withdrew motions regarding their own lawsuit. It’s unknown if they’ll continue to pursue that as they are a part of antitrust lawsuit by the attorneys general.

Paramount Skydance still faces a hurdle in the European Commission and the U.K. The company has attempted to address EU competition concerns such as ending a film distribution venture it has with Universe Pictures. The European Commission has extended its deadline for its decision from July 7 to July 22.

California leads 11 Other States in Suing to Block Paramount’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

As expected, California and 11 other states have filed a lawsuit to stop Paramount Skydance‘s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They state that the $110 billion deal would lessen competition in film distribution and television as well as harm theaters and television distributors.

The lawsuit is being lead by California Attorney General Bonta and includes Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California and alleges the deal violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act. That focuses on lessening competition through mergers and is an attempt to prevent monopolies.

In the lawsuit the attorneys general allege:

Wide Release Theatrical Film Distribution, where Warner Bros. and Paramount are two of the five major film distributors and would combine for around 27% share of the market. After the merger, only three distributors will control 75% of these films and only four distributors (Defendants, Disney, Universal, and Sony) will control 86% of them.
Anticipated Top-Grossing Theatrical Film Distribution, a submarket of theatrical film distribution focused on anticipated blockbuster films with wide audiences and large production budgets. After the merger, Defendants will control more than 30% of these films, and four distributors (Defendants, Disney, Universal, and Sony) will control more than 90% of them.
Licensing Basic Cable Television Channels, or the market for distributing basic cable channels to cable and satellite providers. Warner Bros. is the second largest and Paramount is the third largest in this market, and they would combine for a 27% share.

Oregon Attorney General investigating Paramount over its Warner Bros. Discovery Deal

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield is stepping into the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance. The office had asked for records regarding the deal, in particular its “Project Warrior,” the lobbying of the White House and the Department of Justice, questioning their approval of the merger in June.

The office had asked for records regarding the deal and stated that Paramount Skydance had not been responsive to record requests. The company has responded back that those records are not pertinent to antitrust concerns.

After initially filing multiple motions, the Attorney General’s withdrew the request to delay the closing of the merger as well as the request of records. The $110 billion acquisition could close as early as July 22.

The investigation is not over though, and the office has stated they are considering their next steps. Jenny Hansson, a spokeswoman for the A.G.’s office, said:

Paramount made it clear that they weren’t going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they’re above the law. We’re not going to let them waste Oregonians’ resources on these games. We’ve withdrawn the motion to consider our next steps.

Oregon is the first state to step in regarding the deal but more may join as California’s Attorney General has voiced concern over the deal and it is expected a motion will be filed in the next few weeks regarding it.

British Government Likely to Challenge Paramount Skydance’s Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

At least one government is stepping up and doing their job as the British government said it will likely challenge Paramount Skydance‘s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. In early June, Trump’s Department of Justice approved the merger saying it would “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.” The British government might be coming to a different conclusion.

British culture minister Lisa Nandy said she was “minded to intervene.” In the full statement, Nandy said:

Following engagement with the parties and independent research, my Department has today written to the current and proposed owners of Warner Bros Discovery on my behalf to inform them that I am minded to intervene.

“Minded to” means the government will make a move before legal steps are done. The companies can now respond.

Nandy’s concerns are the consolidation of news media as well as consolidation of control of media enterprises.

If the deal goes through, Paramount Skydance would take over Warner Bros. Studios, CNN, DC Comics, and more. They already control CBS, CBS News, and the Ellisons (who control Paramount Skydance) have a large investment in TikTok which is a popular platform for news.

While the United States federal government has abdicated its role in protecting consumers and competition, a coalition of state attorneys general have stated they believe the Trump administration is failing to enforce antitrust laws and may take action themselves. There are also regulatory concerns over the amount of foreign investment in the deal.

The British investigation, and others, could add months before the deal is finally approved, if it is.

Trump’s DOJ Approves Paramount’s Merger with Warner Bros. While States Stepping Up to Actually Scrutinize it Looms

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Brett

As expected, Trump’s Department of Justice has approved Paramount Skydance‘s planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The green light was given this Friday and a key step in the acquisition process. Authorities in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, New Zealand Commerce Commission, and authorities in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Serbia and North Macedonia, Germany, Slovenia, Belgium, Czechia, New Zealand, Italy, France and Romania have all approved the deal in some way.

In the DOJ’s statement, they said:

The transaction is not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers, including with respect to: (1) streaming video on demand (“SVOD”); (2) linear television; and (3) studio development, production, or distribution of films for theatrical release.

Anyone with two working brain cells and not and administration sycophant know that’s absolutely not going to be the case. The approval is a payoff in the investment the Ellisons, Trump allies, have made in the current President. You need to make your money back somehow and between this and Ellison’s investment in TikTok, their investment is potentially paying off while further burning the United States to the ground.

The $111 billion proposed deal is being pushed through because if it extends past September 1, stockholders will see more paid out to them, thus vastly increasing the cost.

The deal for Warner Bros. Discovery would giver Paramount Skydance control of such assets as CNN, HBO, Warner Bros., HBO Max, and have a major impact on the comic industry as DC Comics, Wonder Comics, and Milestone Media, are all owned by Warner Bros. Discovery or have deals with it.

It will be a disaster for consumers on multiple fronts.

After the Ellison takeover of CBS, they appointed Bari Weiss to head up the news division. Weiss has destroyed the credibility of 60 Minutes and decreased the viewership for multiple shows on the broadcast network.

Paramount Skydance also recently merged its video game studios which will eventually lead to layoffs and it’s likely WB Games and all of the video game studios from Warner Bros. Discovery will be folded into the new venture.

The deal is not done yet:

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery may face a lawsuit by a coalition of state attorneys general who have stated they believe the Trump administration is failing to enforce antitrust laws.

The UK’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, said it was initiating an investigation into the proposed deal.

The European Commission is investigating the deal under the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation. $24 billion of the deal is coming from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. The merged Paramount-WBD would be 49.5% owned by foreign investors with 38.5% of the equity owned by a trio of Gulf States. That has a deadline if July 14. The irony is TikTok not allowed to be owned by a foreign government but 49.5% of Paramount-WBD can be.

While we don’t expect the deal to impact DC Comics, Milestone Media, or Wonder Comics immediately, we do expect the intellectual property to be quickly used in an attempt to increase revenue for the mega company.

Paramount Skydance launches Paramount Games Studio Combining Operations

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Brett

Paramount Skydance has shifted its focus for a bit on video games as it has launched Paramount Games Studio, a “core pillar” of the company’s content strategy. It’s a key focus along with television, film, and streaming. The move is the latest shakeup since David Ellison’s purchase of Paramount.

Paramount Games Studio merges Skydance’s existing game studios, Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media, and mixes in Paramount’s intellectual property which has be mostly licensed to third parties.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, which was announced in March of 2024, along with a Star Wars game made in collaboration with Lucasfilm are in the works. The studio has also teased TMNT: The Last Ronin and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game.

Tony Driscoll will be the president of Paramount Games Studio and is also the company’s head of corporate strategy and development which he’ll continue to lead.

This is a bigger deal in that Paramount Skydance is currently attempting to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. Along with a massive amount of intellectual property, Warner Bros. Discovery also has Warner Bros. Games which includes Avalanche Software, NetherRealm Studios, Portkey Games, Rocksteady Studios, TT Games (TT Games Publishing, TT Fusion, Traveller’s Tales, and TT Odyssey), as well as WB Games Boston, WB Games Montreal, WB Games New York, and WB Games San Francisco.

It’s likely all of those studios will be folded into Paramount Games Studio if not worse (like studios closed) if the purchase of WBD by Paramount Skydance is approved.

Consumers are Suing to Block the Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Brett

The stockholders have voted, the federal government will provide little resistance, and rumors are European regulators won’t ask for any changes to the deal. But, there’s still some resistance to the $110 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.

A group of Paramount+ subscribers have filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in an attempt to stop the deal. They claim that the deal will harm competition, raise prices, and reduce quality.

The move also attempts to rollback Skydance’s takeover Paramount stating that and the Warner Bros. Discovery is an attempt at consolidation and eliminating rivals.

From the lawsuit:

Paramount’s ability and incentive to raise prices, reduce output, narrow slates, reduce quality and worsen consumer-facing terms, including through control of distribution, exclusivity, windowing and licensing.

If Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is consummated, the combined firm would have increased ability and incentive to reduce theatrical film output and narrow release slates, substantially lessening competition by leaving moviegoers with fewer theatrical titles, less genre and budget variety, and fewer meaningful alternatives at local theaters.

Skydance’s nontrivial acquisition of Paramount Global and the proposed nontrivial acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery reflect the same strategy of refusing to compete by building better products, investing, innovating, or winning customers through rivalry on the merits, but instead pursuing scale through consolidation that eliminates independent rivals and weakens the competitive constraints that protect consumers.

The lawsuit focuses on Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act. That bars mergers that reduces competition and the number of “top companies” in a marketplace. With this deal, Paramount would control about 24% of the theatrical distribution market.

The post-merger top four studios would be Paramount/Warner Bros. at approximately 23.6%, Disney at approximately 21.4%, Universal at approximately 20.2%, and Sony/Columbia at approximately 11.1%, for a combined top-four share of approximately 76.3%. The proposed transaction, therefore, would not merely combine two studios; it would increase top-four concentration by approximately 10.2 percentage points and eliminate Paramount as an independent studio competitor.

That percentage of the market has caused the trade organization Cinema United to oppose the merger as well. Over 4,000 individuals have no signed a letter opposing the merger.

The lawsuit also focuses on the consolidation of the news media. In the takeover of Paramount by Skydance, they gained control of CBS News. The Ellisons are also an investor in the US controlled TikTok, a major source of news. The lawsuit focuses on the consolidation of news and that the new company would control CNN if it acquires Warner Bros. Discovery. It too would “weaken competitive constraints that protect editorial rivalry, investigative resources, and viewpoint diversity.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is reviewing the merger and its expected there will be legal action from state attorneys general opposing the merger.

The FCC Again Threatens to Censor Disney and ABC over Kimmel while Paramount Retaliates over a Stand Against the Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Brett

When it comes to journalism, it’s been ominous for a while. Venture capital and private investment has gutted news services, newspapers have shut down and folded, and there’s been attacks coming from all sides in an attempt to censor and reign in their right and duty to report the news freely.

Once again, the FCC and its chair Brendan Carr are attacking Disney and ABC over comments Jimmy Kimmel made on his late night show. It involves a review of Disney’s broadcast licenses, ordering its eight owned-and-operated stations to renew their broadcast licenses ahead of schedule. That’s not currently due to at least 2028. Via Business Insider:

ABC was directed by the FCC to file early renewals for its licensed TV stations by May 28, or within 30 days. This order applies to the eight affiliate stations owned by ABC, including those in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Disney has confirmed that the company had received the FCC’s order about the accelerated license review.

Kimmel made a joke on his show saying First Lady Melania Trump had the “glow of an expectant widow,” explained as a reference to the age difference between her and her much older husband, President Trump. The comment was made before Saturday’s reported attempted attack during the White House Correspondents Dinner. That failed attack has been used by the right to attack the left claiming their rhetoric incites violence. First Lady Melania Trump took to social media demanding ABC fire Kimmel over the joke that they’re branding a threat and calling it hateful rhetoric. Kimmel defended the joke on Monday’s episode. He stated:

It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.

Business Insider reports that the FCC under Carr is investigating Disney for its DEI practices. From a filing:

The FCC has been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination

The right has made it a mission to further mold the media to fit their worldview. After its purchase by Paramount, CBS News has been scrutinized for its editorial shift right. The current attempt by Paramount to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery would also give it control of CNN, another popular destination for news. Paramount’s David Ellison’s father also has a part of TikTok, a major news source for younger generations.

But beyond what its done to CBS, Paramount has shown its teeth towards individuals willing to scrutinize and speak against its purchase of WBD, teasing a possible era of blacklists and retribution if it succeeds.

The AV Club has a report that a columnist at The Ankler who has spoken out against the acquisition was blacklisted by Paramount. We too have been vocal against the media consolidation, so if there is a blacklist, please add us.

Richard Rushfield recently attended CinemaCon and was handing out swag, a pin that read “Block the Merger.” Paramount didn’t appreciate that and pulled its advertising from The Ankler and talent was instructed to not speak to its reporters. It’s absolutely a canary in the coal mine, and another example of why this merger should not go through.

Is this a future we can expect for sites like ours? We have been vocal against the megamerger but also have written some not flattering news concerning DC Comics which would be owned by Paramount under this deal. Will we see retaliation if another scandal were to hit the publisher and we covered it?

It’s not hard to see all of this as a pattern, and an ominous one for independent journalism, even journalism that focuses on entertainment.

Newsarama has recently seen its final staffer exit, sunsetting what was a major entertainment news site, officially killed off by its parent company Future PLC after initially being folded into GamesRadar.

It’s all reasons for the comic, television, video game, tabletop game, toy, movie industries, and more to support independent journalism that’s not at the mercy of large corporations looking to profit and maximize clicks and views or the mercy of VCs looking to suck money from their investment like the capitalist vampires that they are.

There’s a war being waged against the fourth estate and it’s not just a moment calling for solidarity but a moment to lift up the voices who are free to challenge, criticize, and report, exactly what journalism should be doing.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Shareholders Approve of Paramount’s Takeover but Reject David Zaslav’s Pay Package

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Brett

As expected, shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have given the green light for Paramount‘s $110 billion deal to purchase the company. Around 99% of the shares voted in favor of the deal.

But, those same shareholders rejected the compensation package for WBD CEO David Zaslav. A reported 82% of shareholders voted against the package with just 17% voting for it. That vote is non-binding though.

The vote doesn’t guarantee the merger will go through. It still needs to get approval from the United States federal government, which will likely go through with few issues. But, there’s a possibility European regulators could step in, Canadian officials have spoken up about the deal, and multiple US attorneys general seem to be organizing to oppose the deal.

There’s also growing opposition within the industry with more than 4,000 individuals who work in Hollywood signing a letter opposing the deal, numerous unions, and more including Democrats in Washington.

You can learn more about the deal and weird connections between the powerful and Trump administration in the second episode of Comic Shoot.

WBD Bid

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