DoJ approves Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal, cementing Ellison family control of American media
Key takeaways
- The deal has sparked fear over the future of the film, television and news industries.
- miss.cabul/Shutterstock Paramount Skydance is cleared to move forward with its acquisition of Warner Bros.
- In its press release announcing the approval, the Do J shot down arguments against the merger.
The deal has sparked fear over the future of the film, television and news industries.
miss.cabul/Shutterstock Paramount Skydance is cleared to move forward with its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the US Department of Justice announced Friday. The deal marks a tectonic shift in the American media landscape, further dwindling the number of major players in the industry and drastically expanding the influence of the Ellison family.
In its press release announcing the approval, the Do J shot down arguments against the merger. It denied that the acquisition of Fox by Disney some years ago could be used as a case study, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as an interfering factor which renders the comparison moot. It also dismissed labor concerns which have been widely voiced by industry workers. On June 9, it was reported that The United Kingdom is conducting its own investigation of the deal, a factor which may have advanced the DoJ's timeline.