The Writers Guild of America and a coalition of US states have both filed major antitrust lawsuits to challenge Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
The lawsuit is being led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is bringing the case in US District Court for the Northern District of California. The other states involved in the lawsuit are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
On 14 July 2026, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East (jointly WGA) also filed suit to block the proposed merger. The complaint details how the merger would reduce opportunities, lower pay, and worsen working conditions for writers. Focusing on the merger’s anticompetitive effects in anticipated top-grossing films, episodic television and streaming series, and overall deals, the WGA lawsuit also argues that elimination of a key competitor would reduce the quantity and variety of productions. Furthermore, the complaint asserts that the merger would increase the ability for the few remaining companies to tacitly coordinate the further suppression of competition for writers’ work.
The WGA is represented in this lawsuit by Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP, Cuneo Gilbert Flannery & LaDuca, LLP, and Platkin LLP. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The lawsuits come a month after the US Justice Department’s Antitrust Division approved Paramount’s $110bn takeover bid for WBD.
“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theatres, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theatre seat in the US,” Bonta said in a statement.
He added that media consolidation in California “not only leads to higher prices – it also leads to fewer opportunities for important stories to come to life, and fewer ways for audiences to encounter stories, ideas, and perspectives beyond their own experiences.”
The merger would create a company controlling “nearly one-third of theatrical motion pictures, and nearly one-third of basic cable programming,” he continued.
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“In this country, no one is above the law,” Bonta stated. “With this lawsuit, California and our sister states are fighting for free and fair markets, not rigged markets. America has no kings in government or our economy.”
“If Paramount succeeds in buying Warner Bros., the merged firm will be the largest buyer of original film and television programming in the United States,” added Michele Mulroney, President of WGAW. “This would eliminate competition in an already consolidated industry, threatening the livelihoods of entertainment workers and the creative diversity of TV and film. We applaud the dozen state Attorneys General who have stepped up to enforce our antitrust laws and are proud to file suit alongside them.”
“The Writers Guild of America will not stand idly by as Paramount attempts to violate our country’s antitrust laws and deepen the contraction entertainment workers already feel,” concluded Tom Fontana, President of WGAE. “This proposed combined entity would be the largest employer of writers, with tremendous power to suppress our wages, eliminate opportunities for emerging writers, cut jobs across the industry, and produce less programming, effecting the range of storytelling. This merger is not inevitable and we are fighting to stop it.”
Last month, Paramount Skydance offered concessions to the European Commission to help pave the way for the deal.
Earlier this month, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she was “minded” to task the communications regulator Ofcom with looking at the impact of the merger on media plurality.
The prospective deal has received regulatory approval in more than 20 countries.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently published the commencement notice for its investigation of Paramount Skydance’s anticipated acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), marking the official beginning of the inquiry. Discover more here.
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