THR Illustration / Image: Michael Buckner Logo text The day after 12 state attorneys general sued to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the Writers Guild of America has filed its own lawsuit to impede the $111 billion mega-deal.
The labor union representing film and television writers filed a suit in U.S. district court for the northern district of California on Tuesday alleging that the deal breaks antitrust law and would harm wages and working conditions for writers by creating a single mega-buyer of film and television programming with outsized power.
“If Paramount succeeds in buying Warner Bros., the merged firm will be the largest buyer of original film and television programming in the United States, eliminating vigorous competition from a major film and television studio that has operated for more than a century,” the complaint reads.
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The lawsuit continues, “The proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger (“Merger”) threatens the economic and creative health of the American entertainment industry. The Merger would eliminate competition for buying film and television writing, resulting in suppressed compensation, worse deal terms, and reduced programming volume and diversity. The merger must be blocked.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, who are both defendants in the suit, for comment. Read the full complaint here.
In a statement about the lawsuit, Writers Guild West president Michele Mulroney said, “If Paramount succeeds in buying Warner Bros., the merged firm will be the largest buyer of original film and television programming in the United States.”
She added, “This would eliminate competition in an already consolidated industry, threatening the livelihoods of entertainment workers and the creative diversity of TV and film. We applaud the dozen state Attorneys General who have stepped up to enforce our antitrust laws and are proud to file suit alongside them.”
More to come.
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