A handful of Paramount+ subscribers failed to win an order blocking the merger with Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday, but a coalition of states will give it another try on Friday.
The plaintiffs sued in April, alleging that they had faced price hikes and risked losing viewing options as a result of the transaction. At a hearing on Thursday, Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin denied their bid for a preliminary injunction.
“It’s extraordinary preliminary relief, and plaintiffs failed to submit a single item of evidence in support of the motion,” the judge said. “Moreover, I have some serious doubts about plaintiffs’ standing to pursue these antitrust claims.”
Paramount will face a harder test on Friday, as a coalition of 12 attorneys general are seeking a temporary restraining order to pause the merger. The states filed their suit on Monday, alleging that the $111 billion merger will harm competition in the theatrical and basic cable markets.
Earlier on Thursday, Paramount filed its opposition, arguing that the states are unlikely to prevail on their case and should not be granted a restraining order.
