Story perspectives

DOJ Clears $110B Paramount-Skydance Warner Deal Amid Global Scrutiny

6/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

The DOJ cleared Paramount Skydance’s $110-111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition after an eight-month probe.
State attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are still reviewing and may sue.
The EU and Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened investigations, with deadlines of July 7 for merger review and July 14 for foreign-subsidy assessment.
Paramount expects over $6 billion in synergies, plans layoffs, and faces opposition from more than 5,500 Hollywood workers.

History

Historical Context

The 2001 AOL-Time Warner vertical merger, the first major media consolidation cleared by the DOJ, set a precedent later tested when the Justice Department sued AT&T’s $85 billion bid for Time Warner, which a judge approved in June 2018. Today, the DOJ’s June 2024 clearance of Paramount-Skydance’s acquisition echoes those earlier antitrust battles.

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Story summary

The DOJ cleared Paramount Skydance’s $110-111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition after an eight-month probe.
State attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are still reviewing and may sue.
The EU and Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened investigations, with deadlines of July 7 for merger review and July 14 for foreign-subsidy assessment.
Paramount expects over $6 billion in synergies, plans layoffs, and faces opposition from more than 5,500 Hollywood workers.

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