Lionsgate CEO Backs $110 Billion Paramount-WBD Merger as March Trial Delays Deal
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Aug 6
Lionsgate CEO Backs $110 Billion Paramount-WBD Merger as March Trial Delays Deal
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Aug 6
Summary
Jon Feltheimer used Lionsgate’s earnings call to endorse Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, saying prolonged uncertainty is hurting the entertainment business more than the deal itself.
The $110 billion transaction cleared regulators but stalled in July after the Writers Guild of America and 12 state attorneys general sued on antitrust grounds; a full trial is now set for next March.
Feltheimer also backed Paramount CEO David Ellison personally, saying he expects heavy investment in content, including a possible 30-film slate and a stronger Paramount+.
Lionsgate has discussed potential film co-financing with the companies, and Feltheimer said a better-funded Paramount+ would create more demand for original programming and library sales.
His comments add to public support from TKO’s Ari Emanuel and theater chains AMC and Regal, even as an anti-merger petition citing layoffs has drawn more than 5,000 signatures.