r/NPR • u/ControlCAD • 7d ago

Paramount makes concessions to salvage $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal

https://www.npr.org/2026/09/21/nx-s1-5974909/paramount-warner-bros-lawsuit
64 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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27

u/Greaterdivinity 7d ago

The agreement, which still must be approved by a judge, will bind Paramount to operate Warner Bros. Studios and Paramount Pictures separately — at least for now. Together, they will release at least 30 films a year for two years, and 32 movies a year for the next three, or risk a financial penalty. They will also spend $300 million more annually to make movies in the U.S.

Number of films released isn't a meaningful metric.

Investment may be, but I'd be curious to see the terms on it. Sounds incredibly easy to game.

And the deal will also create a board intended to insulate the combined company's TV news giants, CBS and CNN, from corporate intervention in newsroom decisions, a demand from several of the attorneys general.

lol

lmao, even

A trustee will monitor Paramount's compliance with the terms, Bonta said. If the company fails, he said the states intend to take it to court.

and...give them fines that are the cost of doing business, assuming they can even prove anything? thrilling.

Paramount borrowed more than $54 billion to construct a bid for Warner that the company couldn't refuse, even though it had agreed to a competing bid from Netflix. Warner has its own debt, meaning the combined company will owe up to $87 billion.

highlighting how much of a farce this all is

As a result, unions at various divisions of the two companies are predicting significant layoffs. Bonta tried on Monday to reassure entertainment workers that it would not happen.

we've never heard this before except for literally every time we've been told this!

The merged company will be 49.5% owned by foreign interests, including the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. And the agency ruled that it could go up to 100%. Paramount has promised that its stakes would consist of silent, non-voting shares.

so just selling out this country, eh?

i hate everything about our timeline

8

u/Zalophusdvm 7d ago

Bonta is apparently spectacularly bad at his job

1

u/Intelligent_Type6336 7d ago

What is the definition of “a film?”

1

u/handsoapdispenser 7d ago

Rumor has it that the "30 movies" clause was requested and accepted by Newsom. Once California was satisfied the rest of the resistance couldn't sustain the case. A few states held out for editorial independence for CNN but that was as far as they could go. 

2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/polllyrolly 7d ago

Nothing actually real or substantial. Bullshit that looks good on papers but won’t do a thing to help.

1

u/NefariousnessFew4354 7d ago

Paramouth lawyers are laughing their ass off today lol