After the deranged and flailing Malignant Fascist's Justice Department quickly approved the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery in June, California has now joined with eleven other states to block the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would put more major media outlets under the control of right-wing supporters of the increasingly deranged Malignant Fascist:
"A coalition of 12 state attorneys general is filing a lawsuit in federal court on Monday to block Paramount Skydance’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on antitrust grounds, imperiling one of the biggest mergers in entertainment and media history.
The effort is being led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is bringing the case in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, his office said in a statement. The lawsuit comes amid mounting opposition to the deal from Democratic lawmakers, studio executives, actors and others in Hollywood, who argue it would lead to sweeping job cuts and accelerate media consolidation that harms consumers and creative talent alike. [snip]
The prospective deal, which has received regulatory approval in more than 20 countries and is expected to close by the end of the third quarter, would give Paramount Skydance, helmed by CEO David Ellison, the ability to integrate his company’s namesake streaming service with HBO Max to create a new content platform boasting more than 200 million subscribers. [snip]
The merger has raised additional questions because it is financially backed by Larry Ellison — David Ellison’s father and a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked CNN and said he wants the network changed.
More than 4,000 Hollywood figures, including many stars who work in front of the camera, signed on to a prominent campaign opposing the transaction. 'We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good,' the group has said. 'The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.'” (our emphasis)
Of course, one of the members of the "small group of powerful stakeholders" is none other than the MF himself, who wants to control not only the Paramount property CBS, but also Warner Bros. property CNN, and to skew its news coverage to be favorable to him like the Fox/ Newsmax / OANNs of the MAGAt propaganda echo chamber, as right wing oligarch Larry Ellison suggested. No doubt the Ellisons will threaten to leave California and will pour their considerable resources into an appeal, as their cult leader the MF applauds from the sidelines. They have to be defeated in their attempted takeover of media outlets in order to turn them into more MAGA propaganda outlets.
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