Paramount wins early court victory as judge rejects subscriber merger protest

The denial of the subscriber injunction removes a minor procedural hurdle, but the incoming challenges from the 12-state coalition and the WGA represent a high-stakes stress test for the merger's viability. This consolidation would unite roughly one-third of the theatrical film distribution and basic cable programming markets. While the Department of Justice officially cleared the deal in June 2026, the persistent state-level and labor lawsuits indicate a fractured regulatory environment that could delay the close beyond the anticipated September window. Watch for the court's ruling on the states' temporary restraining order request, due by midnight July 21, which could freeze the $111 billion transaction entirely.

The $111 billion deal, formally announced in February 2026, follows an intense bidding war where Paramount Skydance beat a rival $82.7 billion offer from Netflix. To secure the agreement, Paramount accepted a $7 billion regulatory termination fee and agreed to pay Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders a 'ticking fee' for every day the deal remains unclosed after September 30, 2026. This structure puts immense pressure on Paramount to resolve litigation quickly, as delays directly increase the acquisition's effective cost.

While the Trump administration’s Department of Justice approved the merger in June 2026—concluding that the tie-up would not harm competition in streaming or theatrical distribution—state regulators have aggressively filled the enforcement vacuum. Per the Los Angeles Times (July 2026), California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s coalition argues the merger violates the Clayton Act by consolidating two of the five major film distributors, potentially controlling 85% of wide-release films. Parallel scrutiny continues abroad, with the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority issuing a July 2026 deadline to decide if a deeper investigation is warranted.

Labor concerns are equally acute. The Writers Guild of America’s separate lawsuit, filed in July 2026, focuses on the combined entity’s dominance as a content buyer. According to WGA filings reported by Hypebeast, the union fears the merger will lead to suppressed wages and a reduction in original programming output. This follows a volatile 18-month period for both companies characterized by massive layoffs and aggressive cost-cutting under their respective previous iterations.