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“We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure this unlawful merger never sees the light of day.”

“Even if Paramount loses in District Court, this would accelerate the time frame for an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court and potentially to the Supreme Court in 2027.”

“I think there’s probably a 60 percent chance that the merger gets blocked at this point.”

"49% of bettors expect Paramount to emerge as the winner."

"Kalshi contracts for the "Paramount" outcome decreased by 15 percentage points to an implied probability of 65%. "

“Ultimately, we believe Paramount Skydance remains the most likely to succeed in acquiring WBD.”

“We are confident this transaction raises no such concerns, as demonstrated by the dozens of antitrust authorities around the world that have carefully reviewed the transaction and either cleared it or concluded that it does not violate applicable competition laws.”

"Let me be clear: we remain highly confident that this transaction does not pose any legal issues, and we will complete it and bring these two companies together."

Will Paramount Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery?

California Attorney General Rob Bonta canceled a planned Monday meeting with Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, accusing Paramount of leaking details of a Friday prep session and acting in bad faith ahead of scheduled settlement talks.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta canceled a planned Monday meeting with Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, accusing Paramount of leaking details of a Friday prep session and acting in bad faith ahead of scheduled settlement talks.

Bonta is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.improvethenews.org/story/2026/-states-sue-to-block-paramountwarner-bros-deal">currently leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general</a> who are suing to block Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging the deal would reduce competition in film distribution and cable television and raise costs for consumers.

Bonta is currently leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general who are suing to block Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging the deal would reduce competition in film distribution and cable television and raise costs for consumers.

The U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) approved the planned merger one month before the multistate suit was filed in July, concluding that it does not harm U.S. consumers. A federal judge later temporarily paused the deal, saying that states had raised serious questions about its impact.

The U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) approved the planned merger one month before the multistate suit was filed in July, concluding that it does not harm U.S. consumers. A federal judge later temporarily paused the deal, saying that states had raised serious questions about its impact.

Paramount agreed to postpone closing the deal until after an antitrust trial scheduled for March, while <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.improvethenews.org/story/2026/paramount-seeks-b-bond-over-warner-bros-discovery-merger-delay">the company faces a ticking fee of roughly $7 million</a> per day owed to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders for each day after Sept. 30 that the deal remains unclosed.

Paramount agreed to postpone closing the deal until after an antitrust trial scheduled for March, while the company faces a ticking fee of roughly $7 million per day owed to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders for each day after Sept. 30 that the deal remains unclosed.

This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that Bonta may seek Paramount's divestiture of some cable channels and a commitment to keep its movie studio separate from Warner Bros., terms Paramount is considered unlikely to accept given its reliance on cable revenue.

This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that Bonta may seek Paramount's divestiture of some cable channels and a commitment to keep its movie studio separate from Warner Bros., terms Paramount is considered unlikely to accept given its reliance on cable revenue.

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The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) approved the planned merger one month before the multistate suit was filed in July, concluding that it does not harm U.S. consumers. A federal judge later temporarily paused the deal, saying that states had raised serious questions about its impact.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) approved the planned merger one month before the multistate suit was filed in July, concluding that it does not harm U.S. consumers. A federal judge later temporarily paused the deal, saying that states had raised serious questions about its impact.

Bonta was right to walk away from this meeting. This merger is a billionaire power grab that will cost thousands of jobs and drive up costs for everyday Americans. The antitrust case is rock-solid, and no amount of astroturf campaigns or political pressure from Trump-aligned insiders should water it down.

Bonta was right to walk away from this meeting. This merger is a billionaire power grab that will cost thousands of jobs and drive up costs for everyday Americans. The antitrust case is rock-solid, and no amount of astroturf campaigns or political pressure from Trump-aligned insiders should water it down.

Mark Ruffalo

This was a transparent political stunt dressed up as principle by Bonta. Fellow California Democrats are pleading with him to settle because real Hollywood jobs are on the line. This lawsuit was never about protecting consumers; it's about leveraging the AG's office to punish political enemies and reward the right donors.

This was a transparent political stunt dressed up as principle by Bonta. Fellow California Democrats are pleading with him to settle because real Hollywood jobs are on the line. This lawsuit was never about protecting consumers; it's about leveraging the AG's office to punish political enemies and reward the right donors.

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Mike Netter

Keith Ainsworth

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CA AG Bonta Cancels Paramount Talks, Cites Bad Faith

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CA AG Bonta Cancels Paramount Talks, Cites Bad Faith

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This was a transparent political stunt dressed up as principle by Bonta. Fellow California Democrats are pleading with him to settle because real Hollywood jobs are on the line. This lawsuit was really about leveraging the Attorney General's office to punish political enemies and reward the right donors.

This was a transparent political stunt dressed up as principle by Bonta. Fellow California Democrats are pleading with him to settle because real Hollywood jobs are on the line. This lawsuit was really about leveraging the Attorney General's office to punish political enemies and reward the right donors.

Calif. Attorney General Bonta Cancels Paramount Talks

CACalif. AGAttorney General Bonta Cancels Paramount Talks, Cites Bad Faith

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Calif. Attorney General Bonta Cancels Paramount Talks

CACalif. AGAttorney General Bonta Cancels Paramount Talks, Cites Bad Faith

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