Paramount Settlement Talks With California Moving Forward
The Hollywood Reporter • • business
Key Points:
- Paramount and California Attorney General Rob Bonta will hold a two-day settlement conference at the end of October to discuss the state's lawsuit challenging Paramount's $111 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson ordered both parties to confirm specific dates for the in-person talks by September 15, with the Writers Guild of America also participating in the discussions.
- Bonta insists on structural remedies involving the sale of parts of the combined business, while Paramount has only proposed behavioral concessions, such as releasing movies with 45-day theatrical windows.
- Settlement progress has been slow, complicated by accusations of bad faith and leaked information, with Paramount denying these claims but expressing readiness to negotiate.
- The talks come as a $7 million-per-day penalty fee begins accruing, and Paramount has threatened to leave California, prompting state and local officials to prioritize resolving the dispute.
