Senator Booker criticizes Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger settlement
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Sen. Cory Booker denounced a settlement over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, accusing the company and the Justice Department of undermining antitrust enforcement.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-CA) said the settlement reached between Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery and state attorneys general fails to address antitrust concerns. He argued that the agreement leaves states to enforce competition rules alone and allows the company to avoid meaningful remedies.
Booker described Paramount’s threat to withdraw from California if the state lawsuit proceeded as “extortion” and warned that the merger would reduce the number of major Hollywood studios and basic-cable owners, concentrating roughly a third of the theatrical film market and a third of basic-cable programming under a single entity. He added that behavioral commitments cannot resolve what he called a structural problem, citing potential impacts on employment, wages, and consumer prices.
The settlement does not require Paramount to divest assets unless it breaches a list of behavioral remedies covering film production and cable negotiations. A Paramount spokesperson responded that the deal was approved by nearly 70 jurisdictions and would create “more stories, more choice, and more competition.”
Booker also raised concerns about a provision establishing an editorial review board for CNN and CBS News, saying an “independent” board appointed by the merger’s owner could threaten First Amendment protections. He referenced reports that the Ellison family discussed changes to CNN with President Trump, though Paramount said no commitments were made to any government body regarding news outlets.
The senator suggested the merger resulted from “corruption in plain sight” and cited a Pentagon press briefing where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed enthusiasm for the Ellisons’ involvement. Booker said he will review other mergers approved by the current administration if Democrats gain Senate control in the upcoming elections.