U.K. Government Likely to Intervene in Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover

Logo text

The U.K. government is likely to intervene in Paramount Skydance‘s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy released a statement Tuesday saying that “following engagement with the parties and independent research, my department has today written to the current and proposed owners of Warner Bros Discovery on my behalf to inform them that I am minded to intervene.”

That suggests that a more formal action will follow. Nandy noted that the combined entity will own Channel 5, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, CNN International, Paramount+ and HBO Max, and suggested that concerns around consolidation in the on-demand video market are part of her concerns.

She also cited “the need for, to the extent that it is reasonable and practicable, a sufficient plurality of views in news media in each market for news media.”