This merger hands two of Hollywood's most storied studios to billionaires who've spent millions courting political favor, and the result will be mass layoffs and fewer films at a time when the industry has already lost 42,000 jobs. Saddling the combined company with $79 billion in debt guarantees production cuts, just as Disney's purchase of 21st Century Fox did. State attorneys general are the last real check on this antitrust disaster.
The Paramount-WBD deal blocks a Netflix takeover that would have reshaped Hollywood into a content machine hostile to mainstream American values. Ellison has committed to 30 films a year and a 45-day exclusive theatrical window, a genuine lifeline for movie theaters. Shareholders approved the $111 billion deal because it builds a next-generation media company that actually expands consumer choice.
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