PARA — Judge temporarily halts $110B Paramount-Warner Bros merger on antitrust grounds

A US federal judge has granted a temporary pause on Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, siding with a dozen states that sued to block the deal. The states argue the combination would stifle competition in Hollywood and for cable channel licensing. The ruling jeopardizes the deal's timeline, which included an October 1 deadline to avoid Paramount paying a $650 million quarterly penalty to WBD shareholders.