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DGA and IATSE Urge Rob Bonta to Settle With Paramount
variety.com • • general
Key Points:
- The Directors Guild of America (DGA) and IATSE have urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta to settle his antitrust lawsuit against Paramount over the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, citing industry harm from prolonged uncertainty.
- The unions acknowledge that mergers often offer few benefits to workers but emphasize that delays in the merger decision are worsening employment challenges for industry members.
- Their stance contrasts with the Writers Guild of America, which filed its own suit to block the merger, highlighting divisions within the entertainment industry regarding the deal.
- Bonta’s coalition of 12 states sued in July to block the merger, arguing it would create illegal market consolidation; a trial is set for March 2, later than Paramount preferred.
- The unions propose conditions to address competition concerns, including maintaining separate studio operations and continued licensing from outside producers, and urge either a settlement or an earlier trial date to reduce industry uncertainty.
