Judge Grants Emergency Motion, Delaying Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Review

A California judge granted an emergency motion filed by the Block the Merger coalition, giving the parties until 12:01 a.m. tomorrow to submit a brief. The hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday remains in place.

The coalition, which includes Free Press, the Committee for the First Amendment, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Future Film Coalition and the International Documentary Association, said the consent decree reached with state attorneys general is "weak, unenforceable" and does not address the concerns they associate with the merger.

"Hundreds of thousands of people across the country called on state attorneys general to enforce the law and to protect consumers, workers and free speech," said Free Press co-CEO Jessica J. González, who is also co-counsel on the motion.

"We believe the consent decree fails to meaningfully address or mitigate the harms that will be caused by this monopoly merger to the entertainment industry, diverse storytelling, independent filmmaking, consumer interests, a free press, First Amendment rights, and fundamentally, democracy," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Committee for the First Amendment.

Paramount declined to comment. The settlement reached on Sept. 21 requires the studio to meet production and release targets, pay $30 million to a union fund, and increase U.S. production spending, among other conditions. Critics argue the agreement does not mandate divestitures or guarantee that additional production dollars will go to California.

The motion comes as Paramount faces daily financial penalties for each day the merger with Warner Bros. Discovery remains incomplete after Oct. 1.