Twelve State AGs Sue to Block 110 Billion Dollar Paramount Warner Merger DOJ Already Cleared
Twelve Democratic state attorneys general filed a federal antitrust suit on July 13, 2026 to block the Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery combination, despite the DOJ closing its own eight-month investigation in June with a finding of no competitive harm. The state complaint defines three product markets — wide-release theatrical film distribution, top-grossing theatrical film distribution, and basic cable channel licensing — and deliberately omits SVOD, the market framework the DOJ used to clear the deal. The court's first decision on the states' temporary restraining order will determine whether the companies' targeted Q3 2026 closing can proceed while the merits are litigated.