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Warner-Paramount Merger: Twelve Democratic States File Antitrust Lawsuit in San Francisco
Herz — World Desk · · 30s summary · 4 min read
The essentials
On July 13, 2026, twelve U.S. states with Democratic leadership filed a joint antitrust lawsuit in San Francisco to block the merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance, an American media conglomerate valued at approximately $111 billion. The merger has received approval from the Trump administration at the federal level. Led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the lawsuit argues that this merger—described as "the largest in Hollywood history"—would eliminate competition, leaving four distributors controlling more than 85% of the U.S. box office.
- Twelve Democratic states file antitrust suit against Warner-Paramount merger valued at $111 billion
- The merger, approved by Trump administration, would leave four distributors controlling over 85% of U.S. box office
- CNN would fall under control of the new conglomerate; Trump has commented on the network's editorial direction
- Major Hollywood figures including Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro oppose the merger
- Lawsuit warns theaters face higher costs, fewer film releases, and likely ticket price increases
What We Know
On July 13, 2026, according to El País, twelve U.S. states with Democratic leadership filed a joint antitrust lawsuit in San Francisco to block the merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance Corporation—an American media conglomerate controlling Paramount Pictures studios, the CBS network, cable channels MTV and Nickelodeon, and the Paramount+ streaming service. The lawsuit is led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by attorneys general from New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.
The merger is valued at approximately $111 billion and has received approval from the Trump administration at the federal level. The lawsuit describes it as "the largest in Hollywood history" and argues it "would end competition between Paramount and Warner Bros."
The merged entity would be controlled by the Ellison family, described as conservative and close to Trump, which already owns Paramount Skydance. The merger would place CNN under the control of the new conglomerate. Trump stated in an interview with CNN on the Sunday before the lawsuit was filed that the network's leaders "are trying to get CNN to follow a normal path."
The Numbers Behind Concentration
> 85 %
Share of U.S. box office controlled by four distributors alone after merger
59 %
Share of American basic cable television held by the conglomerate and Disney combined
1 in every 4 dollars
Share of combined U.S. box office and cable revenues the merged entity would receive
Box office (four distributors)85
Basic cable TV (conglomerate + Disney)
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