L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Speaks Out on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger, Urges California AG Rob Bonta to Engage in Talks on Antitrust Case

Key Points:

• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Paramount to urgently resolve their differences and find a settlement to the 12-state antitrust lawsuit blocking Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, emphasizing the negative impact on jobs and productions in L.A.
• Bass stressed that any agreement must include enforceable commitments to keep Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery operations, jobs, and investments in Los Angeles and California, highlighting the importance of protecting union workers and the entertainment industry's future in the region.
• The lawsuit, led by Bonta and 11 other states, alleges the merger would reduce competition in theatrical and cable TV markets, with a trial set for March 2027; Paramount has paused the merger but faces a $7 million daily fee starting October 1 and has warned of relocating out of California if the merger is not completed by September.
• While some industry groups such as the Directors Guild of America and major theater chains support the merger and urge settlement, the Writers Guild of America opposes it and has filed its own antitrust suit, criticizing Bass for siding with corporate interests over workers amid concerns about potential job losses.
• Bass’s call for a swift resolution follows a Los Angeles County report estimating the merger could eliminate about 4,500 film and TV jobs over three years, exacerbating a production downturn that has already cost 52,000 jobs in the past four years.