Kagan Lets Paramount-WBD Merger Close on Oct. 6 After 3 Court Rebuffs
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Oct 6
Kagan Lets Paramount-WBD Merger Close on Oct. 6 After 3 Court Rebuffs
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Oct 6
Summary
Justice Elena Kagan denied a last-minute petition to halt Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the transaction to close Tuesday without comment.
The plaintiffs—five Paramount subscribers and cable customers—argued the deal remained anticompetitive even after last month’s state settlement imposed conditions including lot protections, employee reapplication rights and an editorial-independence board.
Three courts had already rejected their effort: a district judge last week cited repeated failures to produce supporting evidence and questioned standing, and the Ninth Circuit denied relief on Friday.
The settlement that now governs the deal also requires 30-plus theatrical releases a year and separate negotiations for Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery cable channels, framing how the combined company will operate after closing.