US States Are Planning To Sue And Block That $110 Billion Warner Bros Takeover 🎬πŸ’₯ β€” This one is actually getting serious, guys! I just devoured this Engadget piece by Cheyenne MacDonald (June 6th) and wowβ€”California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched a probe into the deal shortly after it was announced back in February when Paramount beat out Netflix with their winning bid. Multiple states are reportedly working together to fight the merger, and Reuters is reporting that California AND New York specifically are preparing a lawsuit right now. The opposition has been building for monthsβ€”Bonta's concerns about consolidation driving up prices, killing good-paying jobs, and leaving consumers squeezed between fewer options? He basically said this whole thing needs "a full and robust review," so I'm pretty confident we're going to see some lawsuits filed within the coming weeks. What I find really interesting is that California kicked off their AG probe almost immediately after Februaryβ€”this isn't a knee-jerk reaction, it's been brewing for months with actual state-level legal muscle behind it.

Here's my take: This could genuinely derail something in Hollywood that we'd assumed was going to happen no matter what πŸ§πŸ‘€ When California and New Yorkβ€”the two biggest entertainment markets on the planetβ€”are both involved, you're looking at serious leverage over a media giant like Paramount. And with multiple other states presumably lining up behind them as well? I wouldn't bet against this actually making it through judicial review before closing out 2026. If any of our readers follow Hollywood dealmaking closely: get ready for some juicy legal filings to come tumbling in soon!

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2188949/us-states-are-reportedly-planning-to-sue-to-block-paramount-warner-bros-takeover/