Hollywood Activists Meltdown as Paramount-Warner Deal Moves Ahead

Hollywood activists are gathered outside Paramount’s studio lot after California Attorney General Rob Bonta settled his state’s lawsuit over Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing a major hurdle for the deal. The Block the Merger coalition had urged Bonta to stop Paramount Skydance from moving forward. Instead, the settlement announced Monday cleared the way for the company’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal valued at roughly $110 billion. The agreement requires Paramount to release 30 theatrical films each year for two years, followed by 32 films annually for the next three years. Paramount also agreed to spend at least $1.5 billion more on U.S. film production over five years and create a $47.5 million fund for workers affected by the merger. It also creates an editorial independence board for CBS News and CNN. Paramount could face a $30 million penalty for every movie below its annual release requirement, although state officials would have to enforce that penalty. Those concessions didn’t calm Hollywood’s activist class. Protesters objected to the news board and claimed the settlement failed to protect workers, despite its spending requirements, f...