Judge to Review State AGs' Settlement in $81B Paramount-Warner Bros Merger

In the long arc of media consolidation, a federal judge now holds the pen that could unite Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery into an $81 billion colossus. State attorneys general, once standing as guardians against the merger's competitive reach, have reached a settlement that clears one of the deal's most formidable legal barriers. What remains is a judicial review of whether the negotiated terms serve the public interest — a question that, answered favorably, would redraw the map of American entertainment.