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BusinessFading · day 5

Bonta Settles Antitrust Suit, Clearing Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

After a bipartisan pressure campaign to block the deal, California's AG accepted weak, non-structural conditions instead of forcing Paramount to sell assets.

newest coverage 17h agosummary written 3d ago13 pieces RedditGoogle NewsNewswiresYouTubeMastodon

What to know

  • Bonta abandoned his earlier position that only structural remedies (asset sales, forced divestitures) were acceptable, settling instead for behavioral conditions critics call toothless.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, played a central brokering role, framing the settlement around protecting Hollywood jobs.
  • David Ellison's threats to relocate Paramount out of California — with courtship from Texas and Tennessee — were widely seen as key leverage that pushed regulators to settle.
  • The WGA separately settled its own suit against the merger; the deal clears the way for the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery combination to proceed.

Rob BontaRob Bonta California Attorney GeneralGavin NewsomGavin Newsom California GovernorDavid Ellison Paramount Skydance owner/CEOMark RuffaloMark Ruffalo Actor, merger opponentFree Press Media/consumer watchdog group

Bonta Settles Antitrust Suit, Clearing Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
NY Post

How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 20, 9 AM; 13 pieces over 5 days (10 articles · 1 video · 2 posts) Sep 20, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Google News 1, Reddit 1Sep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 21, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 3 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietSep 23, 1 AM — quietSep 23, 3 AM — quietSep 23, 5 AM — quietSep 23, 7 AM — quietSep 23, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 23, 11 AM — quietSep 23, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 23, 3 PM — quietSep 23, 5 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 video — Newswires 1, YouTube 1Sep 23, 7 PM — quietSep 23, 9 PM — quietSep 23, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Yesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quiet 123–4
Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23yesterdaynow · 1:54 AM ET
  1. 4

    Bonta unveils settlement terms at press conference

    At a 45-minute press conference, Bonta announces the settlement includes a pledge from David Ellison to keep both the Paramount and Warner Bros. studio lots active, though no requirement to keep Paramount's HQ in California; he also reveals the WGA separately settled its own suit against the merger.

    “for the foreseeable future…”
    — Rob Bonta
    1. 2 outlets Paramount reaches bombshell settlement with California AG Rob Bonta on Warner Bros. merger

      first by NY Post, 3d ago · also Page Six

    • RonSupportsYou@mastodon.social

      RE: https:// mastodon.social/@RonSupportsYo u/117326060828689305 Here is the link to this information about Paramount's merger compromise: https://www. foxnews.com/media/newsom-denie s-pressuring-california-ag-paramount-settlement-liberal-backlash # Newsom # merger # ImproperInfluence # politics # media

      RonSupportsYou@mastodon.socialMastodon17h agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 3

    Free Press and critics call settlement toothless

    Watchdog group Free Press and commentators argue the settlement's conditions are largely unenforceable and weaker than promises Bonta previously insisted on, saying Ellison's relocation threats intimidated regulators into abandoning structural remedies.

    “These minor concessions are largely unenforceable behavioral remedies that Bonta had previously denounced, and in some cases promise less than the two companies are already doing as standalone competitors.”
    — Free Press
    1. 1 outlet California AG Rob Bonta Caves, Paramount Merger To Proceed With Flimsy Conditions

      first by Techdirt, 3d ago

  3. 2

    Deadline details how the deal came together after stalemate

    Bonta recounts to Deadline how the settlement came together quickly following a prior stalemate in negotiations over the weekend.

    1. 1 outlet The Final Stretch: California AG Rob Bonta On How Settlement On Paramount-WBD Merger Came Together Quickly After Stalemate

      first by Deadline, 3d ago

  4. background

    Bonta and 11 other state AGs settle with Paramount — Paramount closes a settlement with Bonta and 11 other states on Monday morning, ending the antitrust lawsuit and clearing the way for the Warner Bros. Discovery merger to proceed.

  5. 1

    Merger opponents rally, urge Bonta 'do not cave'

    As settlement talks between Paramount and the state AGs reach a critical stage, opponents of the merger — including Congressional Democrats and Hollywood figures like Mark Ruffalo — mobilize to pressure Bonta against accepting a weak deal.

    “Do Not Cave…”
    — Merger opponents
    1. 3 outlets Why Rob Bonta Caved on the Paramount Settlement | Analysis

      first by The Wrap, 2d ago · also Washington Examiner, Fox News

      3 more headlines

    2. 1 outlet first by Variety, 4d ago · read ↗

  6. background

    Newsom pushes both sides toward a settlement — California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had publicly advocated for a settlement, stays in "constant contact" with negotiators over the weekend, urging terms that address Hollywood jobs as the central concern.

  7. background

    12 state AGs sue to block Paramount-WBD merger — A coalition of state attorneys general, including California's Rob Bonta, sued Paramount arguing the $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery would be anti-competitive and lead to mass layoffs.