In April, five streaming subscribers filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance‘s $111 billion deal to swallow up Warner Bros. Discovery on antitrust grounds.
Paramount on Thursday (June 3) filed a motion with the court seeking to have the case dismissed, arguing that the plaintiffs’ allegations that the merger violates antitrust laws “do not have any factual support.”
“This case concerns the future of the entertainment industry and a misguided attempt by Plaintiffs to politicize antitrust law,” Paramount said in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland. “The merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery presents an opportunity to revitalize Hollywood and the industry at large by creating greater competition that benefits consumers, theaters, and workers alike.”
“This clumsy attempt to politicize antitrust litigation, untethered to any established antitrust principles or law, has no place in this courthouse and must be rejected,” the company’s filing said.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs — three current Paramount+ subscribers and two prospective subscribers — allege that they face increased prices and reduced viewing options as a result of the Warner Bros. transaction. The suit not only seeks an injunction blocking the Paramount-WBD deal but also seeks to force the break up of Skydance Media’s merger with Paramount Global, a deal that closed in August 2025.
