UK leaning towards intervening in $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery deal
Key takeaways
- UK leaning towards intervening in $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery deal FILE PHOTO: The Warner Bros.
- It later changed its mind after Microsoft amended its acquisition plan.
- Britain's possible intervention comes as the global deal has already been cleared by the United States, China, Australia, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia.
UK leaning towards intervening in $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery deal FILE PHOTO: The Warner Bros. Water Tower is pictured at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, U.S. February 27, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo · Reuters Reuters Tue, June 30, 2026 at 7:46 PM GMT+7 2 min read LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain is leaning towards intervening in Paramount Skydance Corp's proposed $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, citing concerns over the impact on media freedom and the provision of on-demand programming.
The move is the first step in a process that could see the deal referred to the country's anti-trust regulator, which made headlines in 2023 when it blocked Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard to the fury of the two U.S. companies. It later changed its mind after Microsoft amended its acquisition plan.
Britain's possible intervention comes as the global deal has already been cleared by the United States, China, Australia, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia.