AAP Entertainment

Judge pauses Paramount-Warner Bros deal until August

By Jody Godoy

Jul 24, 2026

Paramount Skydance must pause its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery until August 17, ‌a US federal judge has ruled.

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The deal is worth $US110 billion ($A158 ‌billion)

The move gives ‌Paramount Skydance more time to argue against a potential months-long pause while the case plays out.

The company has said such a prolonged delay ‌would plunge ‌the ⁠deal into uncertainty and could cost it more than $US1 billion ($A1.4 billion).

A California-led coalition of states have sued to block the deal, saying it would harm competition in film and television, hurting theatres and ⁠cable companies.

The ‌Writers Guild of America has filed a separate lawsuit alleging the deal ‌would decrease demand for screenwriting work.

US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in Oakland, California, previously paused the deal through August 3, when she would have held a hearing on whether to postpone ‌the deal's closing for longer.

Paramount has asked for a three-day hearing in August where it can present evidence the deal bolsters competition before the judge decides on a longer pause.