States Move to Slow Paramount-WBD Merger as Court Hears Emergency Challenge
California AG Rob Bonta and 11 state lawyers filed for emergency relief to halt Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, seeking a TRO and preliminary injunction; Judge P. Casey Pitts is set to hear the motion this week with a ruling likely before July 22. The case centers on antitrust market definitions in wide-release and top-grossing film distribution, with a related WGA challenge and the possibility of a settlement shaping the outcome.