Justice Department approves Paramount-Warner Brothers merger

The Justice Department's Antitrust Division approved Friday the $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing a major regulatory hurdle for one of the most watched sales in recent years.

The two companies signed the paperwork for the deal in February, which will see Paramount acquire Warner Bros., but it still needs final approval from the Trump administration before it can go through.

The Justice Department told Politico that it has conducted an extensive review of the proposed merger and found that it would not stifle competition, despite merging two of the biggest studios in Hollywood and the media.

The officials said the deal could boost competition by creating a stronger competitor and “determined based on the evidence received in its investigation that the transaction is not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers."

The eight-month-long review consisted of investigators looking over more than 2 million documents, conducting hours of depositions and working alongside state attorneys general.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta can still sue to block the merger, but told the outlet that he has not yet reached a decision. Paramount has asked Bonta not to try and block it.

“The merger of Warner Bros and Paramount remains under investigation by the California Department of Justice,” a spokesperson for Bonta’s office said.

The DOJ approval comes after some WBD employees expressed concerns about the merger earlier this year, particularly in regard to changes Paramount could make to CNN after it made changes to CBS News, which has notably grown more conservative after tapping Bari Weiss to lead it.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.