Overview
- The U.S. Department of Justice gave federal clearance to Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Friday, but the transaction remains unresolved because overseas regulators must still sign off.
- On Monday, June 15, Jane Fonda led a “Rise Up, Sing Out” concert at The Town Hall in New York City and urged the public to petition state attorneys general to try to block the merger.
- High-profile speakers including Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts and others framed the deal as a First Amendment threat and tied their concerns to recent turmoil at CBS News since the Ellison family took control.
- State attorneys general have limited direct power to stop a merger but can file lawsuits to challenge it, and California’s attorney general is reported to be preparing a case while EU and U.K. reviews continue.
- Opponents point out that combining major broadcast and cable assets, including CBS and CNN, could narrow the range of news and culture available to viewers and that commercial ties such as the UFC–Paramount rights deal show how corporate deals intersect with politics.