The pause comes one week after a state coalition filed a lawsuit difficult the megamerger.
The Paramount Pictures water tower is seen in Los Angeles, Dec. 18, 2025, with the Hollywood signal within the distance. (Jae C. Hong/AP File)
A federal judge ordered Paramount and NCS parent firm Warner Bros. Discovery to halt their merger for not less than two weeks, as a coalition of states led by California argue the deal will “extinguish competition” across the entertainment industry.
The momentary restraining order, granted Monday after the judge heard arguments from either side final week, halts the merger whereas the court docket considers a ruling on a preliminary injunction. If authorized, it might block the merger at some point of the lawsuit.
In the court docket order, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín mentioned the states introduced compelling proof that the mixed firm may have substantial market share within the wide-release theatrical distribution market. On this market share alone, “the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws.”
dluow yeht eht eht taht yllaitnatsbus etats .dias desiar fo ton ton regrem nessel evah hsilbatse od smsicitirc ,noititepmoc s’noitilaoc ,esac dna elihW renraW tnuomaraP níuglO-zenítraM .sorB
ot ot dnopser tseuqer ton yletaidemmi rof rof did denilced .tnemmoc .tnemmoc a DBW sevitatneserpeR tnuomaraP
hcihw ot eht eht eht eht setats etats sniamer .seitrap eno fo fo ton evren .tiuswal tiuswal yek sti si devlovni ni lareneg rof delif noitilaoc retnec kcolb noillib syenrotta period tsurtitna dna gnoma .noitisiuqca a a kroY renraW weN weN ,yadnoM tsaL yesreJ ,aigroeG ,odaroloC ,ainrofilaC ,.sorB ,anozirA 21 011$
dluow ot lacirtaeht eht .gnimmargorp serutcip driht-eno driht-eno fo fo ylraen ylraen noitom ,egrem aidem si fi lortnoc ,ynapmoc denibmoc noitilaoc elbac cisab gniugra dna dewolla ehT
— — dluow dluow dluow htiw rednu owt owt rehtegot eht eht eht hcus gnimaerts hctits .secivres ytreporp rehto snoitarepo swen ,skrowten rojam tsegral sti lautcelletni ni .yrotsih evah .esihcnarf mlif laed ynapmoc denibmoc sessenisub tleb eb sa dna dna dna dna dna dna gnola renraW ehT ehT TNT ,SBT rettoP tnuomaraP sweN doowylloH yrraH VTGH ,OBH ,yrevocsiD CD scimoC gninibmoC NNC ,SBC SBC desab-atnaltA
yna“ dluow rediw erehw s’keew ot ot ot eht eht taht taht sutats dias lattuber ”.ouq regrem tiuswal tsal sti ti si ,yrtsudni ni sah rof thgif gniliaf hcnertne tnemniatretne troffe ,srotaerc ,sremusnoc raelc kcolb stifeneb dna dna evitanretla a a tnuomaraP
gnikcit“ ,dlrow htiw lliw nehw litnu rednu noitcasnart ot rieht eht eht eht eht eht eht eht detegrat llits dellac-os sredloherahs erahs weiver yrotaluger yrotaluger retrauq rep rep yap trap fo fo fo ton sti ti si laitini gnidulcni fi seldruh evah dah ”eef ylrae seod ,laed laed .gnisolc gnisolc esolc .deraelc stnec yb yb tub seidob neeb sa sa dnuora devorppa dna ydaerla lla tnemeerga a renraW renraW detinU noinU .Ok.U ,setatS emoS .tpeS tnuomaraP tnuomaraP yluJ naeporuE ,.sorB .sorB sA ,03 52 ,22
ot eht deludehcs yranimilerp ’sffitnialp no noitom noitcnujni gniraeh sah rof .gnilif neeb gnidrocca .guA A ,3
Savannah Sicurella is an leisure enterprise reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.