Paramount: Prozess zu Warner-Übernahme erst im März

Paramount's acquisition of Hollywood giant Warner Brothers remains stalled for an extended period, with a judge setting the antitrust lawsuit brought by several US states and the Writers Guild for early March. This delay makes the already $111 billion (approximately $96 billion) deal even more costly for Paramount. To reassure Warner Brothers shareholders, Paramount executives have pledged additional payments of around $650 million per quarter if the takeover does not conclude by the end of September.

This likely means Paramount will have to pay at least an additional $1.3 billion. The timeline is also running short, as the companies have set a deadline of June 4, 2027, to finalize the takeover. Failure to meet this deadline could allow Warner Brothers to terminate the deal, incurring a seven billion dollar contract penalty from Paramount.

CBS may also be extended. Paramount postponed the deal after the antitrust lawsuits were filed. The case is significant as critics of US President Donald Trump fear that Warner Brothers' news channel CNN could lose its editorial independence under Paramount's control. Behind Paramount is the family of billionaire Larry Ellison, known for supporting Trump.

Originally, Warner had planned to sell its streaming and studio business to Netflix last year, but Paramount's higher bid for the entire Warner Bros. Discovery group, including TV networks like CNN, prevailed. Trump critics point out that CBS, under the Ellisons' ownership, had become more favorable to the US government. Trump had emphasized the importance of a change in ownership for CNN in a Warner deal.