Judge temporarily blocks Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery $110 billion merger

A U.S. District Judge has partially granted a request from a coalition of state attorneys general to place the $110 billion merger between Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery on hold. In a ruling reported by Variety and Reuters, Judge Araceli Martínez‑Olguín said that, based on the combined entity’s projected market share, the court can presume the merger would likely violate antitrust laws and that the states demonstrated irreparable harm if a temporary restraining order is not issued.

The states—California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington—had sued the companies a week earlier, arguing that the consolidation would reduce competition in the streaming and media markets. The judge’s decision allows the plaintiffs to pursue a full injunction while the merger proceeds through the regulatory process.

The ruling underscores the growing scrutiny of large media consolidations and signals that the federal court is willing to intervene to protect competition, pending further review by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.