Netflix isn’t buying Warner Bros, Paramount is – The Verge

Judge pauses Paramount’s attempt to buy Warner Bros. Discovery

2026-07-20T16:08:57-04:00

A judge partially granted the request from a dozen state attorneys general to temporarily place the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery on hold, as reported by Variety and Reuters. US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said that based on the new company's market share, "the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws," and that the states showed "irreparable harm" could occur without a temporary restraining order.

A week ago, California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington sued …

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States make last-ditch effort to stop the Paramount ‘media behemoth’

2026-07-20T13:16:47-04:00

A dozen state attorneys general are trying to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery they warn would raise movie prices and crush cable TV distributors.

The states - California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington - filed suit on Monday, arguing the combination would illegally harm competition and create a "media behemoth." Last month, the Justice Department declined to block the merger in a decision that The Wall Street Journal reported surprised career staff who were leaning toward recommending a lawsuit. In an exit intervi …

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Oregon’s Attorney General withdraws effort to delay Paramount and Warner Bros. merger

2026-07-13T05:41:50-04:00

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield had been seeking documents from Paramount related to its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Rayfield also asked a state circuit court judge to delay the closing of the deal by 60 days so that his office could review the documents. But according to Deadline and Variety, he's now dropped his civil investigative demand for the records.

Obviously, Paramount is pleased with Rayfield's decision to withdraw his request, but the AG's office isn't exactly satisfied with the outcome.

Jenny Hansson, communications director for Rayfield, told Deadline that, "Paramount made it clear that they weren't going to compl …

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Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount merger

2026-02-27T16:53:28-05:00

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance's merger agreement is now official. On Friday, the two companies announced plans to merge into a massive media company that will fold WBD's studio, linear channels, streaming service, and gaming segment into Paramount.

Though WBD initially signed onto an $83 billion agreement to merge part of Warner Bros. with Netflix, Paramount persisted with a hostile takeover bid, followed by a series of offers. That persistence paid off, as WBD determined that Paramount's "best and final" offer is "superior" to Netflix's deal. On Thursday, Netflix declined to match Paramount's bid, calling it "no longer fina …

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Netflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offer

2026-02-27T18:24:05-05:00

Netflix has dropped its $83 billion deal to acquire the Warner Bros. studio, HBO, and its streaming service HBO Max. In an announcement on Thursday, co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters say the streamer is "declining to match" the new bid made by Paramount:

The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid.

We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.' i …

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Trump says Netflix will ‘pay the consequences’ if it doesn’t fire Susan Rice

2026-02-23T18:21:35-05:00

Former Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice at the State Department on September 26, 2023. | Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images

Donald Trump threatened that there would be "consequences" for Netflix if it didn't fire board member Susan Rice. Rice served in both the Obama and Biden administrations, and recently appeared on Preet Bharara's podcast, where she said corporations that "take a knee to Trump" are going to be "caught with more than their pants down. They are going to be held accountable."

Right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer was quick to jump on the appearance and accused Rice of "threatening half the country with weaponized government and political retribution." She also pointed out that Netflix, whose board Rice is on, is trying to me …

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Warner Bros. Discovery gives Paramount one week to present its ‘best and final’ offer

2026-02-17T08:57:20-05:00

After rejecting Paramount's latest acquisition bid, Warner Bros. Discovery says it's giving the David Ellison-led entertainment giant seven days to make its "best and final" proposal. Though WBD is reopening negotiations with Paramount, the company makes it clear in a press release that it still favors Netflix's $82.7 billion deal to purchase its studio and streaming service.

As noted in the press release, a Paramount representative told WBD that it would agree to pay $31 per share if WBD reopens negotiations, adding that this isn't Paramount's "best and final proposal." Paramount has been upping its bid to purchase the entirety of WBD for …

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Republicans attack ‘woke’ Netflix — and ignore YouTube

2026-02-05T16:40:45-05:00

When Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos entered the Senate office building on Tuesday, he got thrown a curveball. What started as a standard antitrust hearing relating to the Warner Bros. merger quickly devolved into a performative Republican attack about the spread of "woke" ideology on the streaming service. At the same time, arguably a much more influential platform was completely ignored: YouTube.

After grilling Sarandos about residual payments, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) launched into a completely different line of questioning: "Why is it that so much of Netflix content for children promotes a transgender ideology?" Hawley asked, making an unsub …

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Republicans haul Netflix before Congress for being too ‘woke’

2026-02-03T19:07:07-05:00

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos (L) and Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights | Getty Images

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos was launched into the middle of a congressional culture war on Tuesday as he testified before a Senate subcommittee about the company's attempt to buy a large part of Warner Bros Discovery.

The hearing before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee highlighted an array of traditional merger concerns on both sides of the aisle: that the deal could potentially raise costs for consumers, limit their theater experiences, or shrink the market for entertainment jobs. But a large chunk of the session also focused on Netflix's allegedly "woke" programming, including content that features transgender characters.

Netflix …

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What Netflix’s Warner Bros. deal could mean for TVs and remotes

2026-02-03T19:04:24-05:00

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.

If you're in the market for a new TV, you'll have plenty of different options these days, ranging from display technologies (OLED vs. QLED vs. micro RGB) to styles (shiny home theater displays vs. matte art TVs) to operating systems (Roku vs. Google TV vs. Tizen vs. Fire TV).

However, you'll find that all these different TVs still have something in common: Every TV comes with a remote that has a Netflix button, and most will feature the Netflix app prominently placed on the hom …

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