NYC Mayor Joins State Attorneys General in Lawsuit to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger
Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed support for a multistate antitrust suit seeking to stop the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery transaction, citing concerns over market concentration and impacts on workers.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he is backing the antitrust lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and 11 other state attorneys general to block the proposed Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The suit, filed Monday, targets the $110 billion deal that would combine two of the nation’s largest film and television studios.
Mamdani posted on social media that the merger “does not serve the public,” warning that it could give a single company control over a substantial share of movies and cable channels, potentially increase streaming and cable costs, and jeopardize jobs for artists and entertainment workers in New York. He added that the city’s workers “should not be sacrificed for the sake of further corporate consolidation.”
Paramount responded that the lawsuit could cause delays that would harm entertainment workers and benefit dominant technology firms in the sector. In a separate statement, Attorney General James argued that the merger would eliminate historic competition between the two studios, create a company with “unprecedented power and influence over news and entertainment,” and raise costs for consumers while threatening jobs nationwide.
The legal challenge reflects broader regulatory scrutiny of large media consolidations and their impact on competition, pricing, and employment in the entertainment industry.