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California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins The Lead.

The settlement of an antitrust lawsuit is clearing the way for a giant corporate deal that is poised to reshape Hollywood and the media and entertainment business. Paramount reached a settlement with state attorneys general from a dozen states, including California and New York, removing a major hurdle to its megamerger with Warner Bros. Discovery, my colleagues Jessica Toonkel and Paul Kiernan report.

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) has agreed to settle a multistate antitrust lawsuit involving its proposed

Paramount Skydance (PSKY) has settled its antitrust lawsuit from several state attorneys general over its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Morningstar senior equity analyst Matthew Dolgin discusses what this means for Paramount's path forward in closing this deal.

Skydance-owned Paramount reached a settlement Monday with a group of state attorneys general that had sued to challenge the company’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery, effectively paving the way for the mega merger to move forward, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. Details of the settlement with the states were not immediately available, but were expected to be revealed later in the day. Paramount said the allegations were meritless, but previously agreed to delay its transaction well into next year so the case could make its way through court.

Geetha Ranganathan, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, joined Bloomberg's Paul Sweeney and Scarlet Fu to discuss the latest on the ongoing Paramount and Warner Bros. merger. The settlement talks between Paramount Skydance Corp. and California officials over the planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. are said to include a financial penalty if the company fails to make good on a promise to distribute 30 films per year in theaters. Paramount would have to pay $30 million for each film that falls short of that goal, according to two people familiar with the discussions who asked to not be identified because the negotiations are private. It could also be forced to sell its stake in Miramax, the studio behind movies such as Pulp Fiction, if it fails to meet the target, one of the people said.

States including California and New York sued over concerns of ‘extinguishing competition’ with $81bn merger

Paramount is poised to close its $111bn (£83bn) takeover of Warner Bros after settling a legal challenge to block the deal.

With the agreement, California Atty. General Rob Bonta and his coalition plan to withdraw historic lawsuit that aimed to derail the $111-billion deal.

US equity indexes ended higher Thursday as government bond yields dropped after the Federal Reserve

Barclays sees streaming and studio growth potential in the Paramount-Warner deal but flags execution, deleveraging, and potential restructuring challenges as legal hurdles remain.

Paramount Skydance is demanding California and other US states suing to block its merger with Warner Bros. put up $1.9 billion to cover fees the company will have to pay if the deal gets delayed, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.If a judge approves the move at a hearing on Wednesday, California and the other 11 states, as well as the Writers' Guild of America, which is also suing to block the merger, would be on the hook for the cash if their legal action fails.

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance on Monday asked a U.S. judge to require a dozen states challenging its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery to post a $1.88

Investing.com -- Seaport Research Partners downgraded Warner Bros Discovery to Neutral from Buy, arguing that a prolonged delay to its proposed acquisition by Paramount Skydance reduces the attractiveness of the stock despite potential upside if the transaction is ultimately completed. The downgrade follows Paramount Skydance's decision to put the acquisition on hold until as late as June 1, 2027, as it seeks to address legal challenges from the Writers Guild and several U.S. state attorneys gen

Steer clear of the entertainment company’s shares for now—there’s just not enough regulatory clarity for investors.

Investing.com -- Paramount said Friday it agreed to halt its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery until June 1, 2027, or until a federal judge rules on a lawsuit filed by state attorneys general seeking to block the deal.

According to a court filing from Friday, the companies have agreed to pause the transaction until five days after the court issues a final decision on the merger, or until June 1, 2027.

On July 20, 2026, a California federal judge halted the $110 billion acquisition for at least 14 days, extending legal uncertainty around the merger.

A coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by California, has filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the proposed Paramount, Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery (NasdaqGS:WBD) merger valued at about US$110b. The states have also submitted emergency motions seeking a temporary restraining order, prompting immediate court hearings and a likely pause to the transaction. The filings allege threats to competition and consumer harm, as well as concerns about market concentration and special...

The primary reason for the 12-state lawsuit is that a Paramount-WBD combination would curb entertainment content and distribution, putting the TV/movie marketplace into fewer hands. What's the fallout?

(Updates with Paramount's comments in the third and fourth paragraphs.) Paramount Skydance's (PSK

This deal could seriously harm movie theatres.

A merger between Paramount Skydance (NASDAQ:PSKY) and Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) is facing new hurdles. In the backdrop of new worries of the merger being approved, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is cashing out shares. David Zaslav Sells WBD Shares Zaslav is selling shares of the company he leads for the second time this year, cashing in ahead of the highly anticipated merger of two media companies. Zaslav sold 2.18 million shares for $59.47 million, according to a report from

California and 11 other states have filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance's planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The coalition of state attorneys general argues the deal could reduce competition and harm theaters, television distributors, and audiences. The legal action introduces a new hurdle for NasdaqGS:PSKY in addition to prior regulatory reviews at the federal level. Paramount Skydance, traded as NasdaqGS:PSKY, sits at the center of a consolidating media...

Paramount Skydance's (PSKY) proposed acquisition of fellow media and entertainment giant Warner Bros

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading a coalition of 12 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount.

(Updates with a response from the Attorney General's office in the second last paragraph.) Paramo

Paramount’s stock fell as much as 9% in morning trading, as investor worries grow over the media company’s path to closing its Warner Bros. Discovery deal. Reuters reported late Wednesday that the Oregon attorney general’s office said Paramount told the office it wouldn’t close the $81 billion deal before July 22. Oregon had asked a court to order Paramount to hand over records and delay the deal by 60 days to review them.

Investing.com -- Paramount Skydance shares fell 8% Thursday after Arete Research downgraded the media company to sell from neutral and slashed its price target to $2, a Street low, citing concerns about the debt burden from its planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount's (PSKY) $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) could be faced with laws