The Department of Justice has approved Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the biggest regulatory hurdle to a merger that would reshape Hollywood. The DOJ's Antitrust Division signed off on Friday without requiring any divestitures, behavioral remedies, or concessions, concluding the deal would not harm competition in streaming, linear TV, or theatrical film. A Paramount spokesperson thanked the agency for its "thorough review."
The tie-up would combine Paramount assets like CBS, CBS News, and Paramount+ with Warner's HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures, CNN, TNT, and HGTV, making the merged company the largest theatrical distributor in the US and a top-five streamer. David Ellison's Skydance won the company after a hostile bid topped an earlier $82 billion Netflix offer.
The approval is not the final word, and it has drawn fierce criticism. The deal still faces antitrust reviews in the EU and UK. Senator Elizabeth Warren called it "terrible news," citing the Ellison family's close ties to President Trump and alleging the process "reeked of corruption," and urged state attorneys general to block it. The deal is not yet formally closed.
Sources: Variety, Deadline, NPR.
The Department of Justice has approved Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the biggest regulatory hurdle to a merger that would reshape Hollywood. The DOJ's Antitrust Division signed off on Friday without requiring any divestitures, behavioral remedies, or concessions, concluding the deal would not harm competition in streaming, linear TV, or theatrical film. A Paramount spokesperson thanked the agency for its "thorough review."
The tie-up would combine Paramount assets like CBS, CBS News, and Paramount+ with Warner's HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures, CNN, TNT, and HGTV, making the merged company the largest theatrical distributor in the US and a top-five streamer. David Ellison's Skydance won the company after a hostile bid topped an earlier $82 billion Netflix offer.
The approval is not the final word, and it has drawn fierce criticism. The deal still faces antitrust reviews in the EU and UK. Senator Elizabeth Warren called it "terrible news," citing the Ellison family's close ties to President Trump and alleging the process "reeked of corruption," and urged state attorneys general to block it. The deal is not yet formally closed.
Sources: Variety, Deadline, NPR.
