US state attorneys general file lawsuit in effort to block Paramount merger

Bipartisan group argue in lawsuit that $110bn merger would hurt competition and lead to thousands of job losses A dozen US state attorneys general are seeking to block the $110bn merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery, arguing in a lawsuit filed on Monday that it would hurt competition and lead to higher prices for consumers. The coalition behind the lawsuit is led by the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, who has been a staunch critic of the merger since it was agreed to in February after a bidding war between David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance and Netflix. The lawsuit was joined by the states of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington. “Today, I am leading a coalition of states in challenging the proposed merger of Warner Bros and Paramount and asking the court to block the deal,” Bonta said in a statement. “The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the US.” Bonta a