DOJ leaders cleared Paramount’s $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal before antitrust staff could recommend a lawsuit
The U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division unexpectedly ended its investigation into Paramount’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery without conditions, even as internal lawyers were leaning toward filing a lawsuit to block the deal. The move removes the biggest federal hurdle, but attorneys general in states including California and New York have said they plan to sue, and the European Union is conducting parallel reviews under its Foreign Subsidies Regulation and standard merger rules. The companies have said they expect the transaction to close by September 2026.
