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Updated on: July 13, 2026 / 12:44 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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A coalition of a dozen states on Monday sued to block Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, posing a new challenge to the $110 billion deal that would unite two of the nation's largest media companies.Attorneys general from the 12 states, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, claim that the merger would harm competition in the movie industry and result in lower pay and fewer job opportunities for industry professionals. The states also argue that the merger would hurt consumers by driving up cable package and movie ticket prices and offering fewer news and entertainment choices.The states suing are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.Paramount Skydance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Warner Bros. spokesperson referred CBS News to Paramount Skydance.If combined, Paramount and Warner Bros. would control nearly a third of cable programming and nearly a third of the U.S. motion picture industry, according to Bonta's office.The coalition of states has requested that the two companies halt the merger until the case concludes."If they do not agree, the coalition will be filing a temporary restraining order," Bonta's office said.
