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Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Settlement Faces Coalition Challenge

By  |  September 24, 2026
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A coalition opposing the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is seeking permission to challenge a settlement reached by state attorneys general, arguing that the agreement may not adequately address antitrust concerns surrounding the transaction.

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    The Block the Merger Coalition has asked a federal judge to establish a briefing schedule that would allow the organizations to formally object to the proposed consent decree, according to Deadline. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin is scheduled to hold a hearing on the agreement Thursday morning, Deadline reported.

    State attorneys general previously reached a settlement of their lawsuit seeking to prevent the merger, proposing a consent decree containing a series of conditions intended to address competition and other concerns raised by the transaction, according to Deadline.

    In a court filing cited by Deadline, the coalition said the settlement raises “serious questions” about whether approval of the decree could eliminate potential merger-related claims available to residents of the states involved in the litigation.

    The organizations also contend that several provisions may fail to resolve the underlying antitrust issues and could create First Amendment concerns, Deadline reported.

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    Among the provisions questioned by the coalition is a commitment to release at least 30 films annually. The groups argued that the requirement could still permit the combined company to produce fewer movies than Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery released separately during the previous year, according to Deadline.

    The coalition also challenged a requirement for separate carriage negotiations involving cable networks, saying the arrangement could prove commercially impractical. It raised separate concerns about a proposed editorial oversight board, arguing that judicial supervision of such a body could create free-speech issues, Deadline reported.

    Read more: Paramount Settlement Draws Criticism as Bonta Defends Deal

    Another provision allows Paramount to suspend obligations under the consent decree in certain circumstances, including disasters, labor disruptions or a recession. The coalition argued that the force majeure language could make some of the agreement’s commitments effectively unenforceable, according to Deadline.

    The Block the Merger Coalition includes the Committee for the First Amendment, Free Press, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Future Film Coalition and the International Documentary Association, according to Deadline.

    The coalition has proposed a briefing schedule extending through Oct. 13. That timeline would run beyond an Oct. 1 transaction deadline after which Paramount would face a $7 million-a-day payment to Warner Bros. Discovery if the deal has not closed, Deadline reported.

    The filing adds another procedural issue for the court to consider as it weighs whether to approve the proposed settlement and its conditions on the combination of the two media companies.

    Source: Deadline