World
U.S. Judge Blocks Paramount's Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery for 14 Days
A U.S. federal judge blocked Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for 14 days on July 20, 2026, citing competitive concerns. Twelve U.S. states filed an antitrust complaint, triggering the legal proceedings. However, federal competition authorities had previously found no issue with the transaction. The judicial debate will focus on the film distribution market. David Ellison, CEO of Paramount, defends the merger as a way to create a competitor to Netflix and Disney+ by combining Paramount+ and HBO Max.