{
  "id": 8977860,
  "title": "Freie Bahn für Milliardendeal: Paramount einigt sich im Rechtsstreit um den Kauf von Warner Brothers mit US-Gliedstaaten",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/freie-bahn-fur-milliardendeal-paramount-einigt-sich-im-rechtsstreit",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-21T17:59:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NZZ Wirtschaft",
    "slug": "nzz-wirtschaft",
    "url": "https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/freie-bahn-fuer-milliardendeal-paramount-einigt-sich-im-rechtsstreit-um-den-kauf-von-warner-brothers-mit-us-bundesstaaten-ld.10024840"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "After a months-long pause, Hollywood conglomerate Paramount is back on track to acquire its rival Warner Brothers. The states have abandoned their resistance following concessions from Paramount. The entertainment entity has resolved a key obstacle for the acquisition of the US rival Warner Brothers, which is worth over $110 billion. Paramount has come to an agreement with several US states from blocking the deal with a lawsuit. The settlement includes investing more money in the US, especially in Hollywood, said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. A new editorial oversight board was agreed upon for CNN and the Paramount channel CBS News to ensure their independence. Paramount has promised to release at least 30 films per year in theaters in the first two years post-fusion, and 32 in the subsequent three years, as confirmed by Bonta. The Screen Writers Guild has dropped their lawsuit against the Warner takeover after reaching an agreement with Paramount, agreeing to deposit $17.5 million into a health fund for the writers. The California-led states argued in their competition lawsuit that Paramount's market concentration would harm Hollywood and the cinema business. The judge responsible for the case set it aside for the spring. Reports suggest Paramount threatened to leave California in October unless an agreement was reached. The company is under pressure: starting in October, it must pay Paramount $7 million daily to the buy price if the takeover is not completed by then. Paramount was taken over by the family of tech billionaire Larry Ellison about a year ago. His son David Ellison, an active film producer in Hollywood, became the company's CEO. He aims to swallow rival Warner Bros. Discovery to gain more weight in the industry, as Paramount is a relatively minor player. Warner, which includes the news channel CNN, has received much attention in debates over the acquisition due to its critical coverage of US President Donald Trump, who has often attacked the channel and recently banned him from the White House. Larry Ellison is known to be a Trump supporter, and the Paramount channel CBS had pledged a more friendly tone towards the president and his administration after the acquisition by his family. Critics of the Warner deal warned that CNN could lose its editorial independence in Ellison's hands. The new board will consist solely of journalists and remain closed to managers and shareholders, according to Bloomberg. Four states - New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Minnesota - had opposed the agreement with Paramount, but they abandoned their resistance after Paramount and California agreed, according to an informed person. The US government approved the billion-dollar deal without conditions, estimating that the merger would not harm competition or American consumers, in TV and streaming business as well as film production. The EU Commission approved the takeover with the condition that Paramount withdraw from the joint distribution of films to cinemas in Europe with Universal Pictures. Earlier this year, Netflix had agreed to buy Warner's streaming and studio business, but Paramount held out and offered a higher bid for the entire Warner Bros. Discovery, including news outlets like CNN.",
  "summary": "Nach monatelangem Stillstand ist der Hollywood-Konzern Paramount wieder auf Kurs, den Konkurrenten Warner Brothers zu schlucken. Die Gliedstaaten geben nach Zugeständnissen ihren Widerstand auf.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "Paramount settles with US states in big step towards closing Warner Bros merger, source says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/paramount-settles-with-us-states-in-big-step-towards-closing-warner",
        "published": "2026-09-21T15:00:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Finance",
        "title": "Paramount settles with US states in big step towards closing Warner Bros merger, source says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/paramount-settles-with-us-states-in-big-step-towards-closing-warner-8948645",
        "published": "2026-09-21T15:01:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Financial Times",
        "title": "Paramount reaches settlement to clear path for $110bn Warner Bros deal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/paramount-reaches-settlement-to-clear-path-for-110bn-warner-bros-deal",
        "published": "2026-09-21T16:14:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Financial Post",
        "title": "Paramount to settle lawsuits, paving way for Warner Bros. takeover",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/paramount-to-settle-lawsuits-paving-way-for-warner-bros-takeover",
        "published": "2026-09-21T16:15:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}