Paramount Skydance Proposed WBD Takeover Clears DOJ Antitrust Review
Variety • • business
Key Points:
- Paramount Skydance announced that its potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has cleared the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust review, with the statutory waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act expiring on Feb. 19, 2026.
- Despite this clearance, Paramount has not secured a definitive agreement to buy WBD, and the transaction remains subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearance in other jurisdictions.
- Warner Bros. Discovery currently maintains its $83 billion agreement to sell its studios and HBO Max to Netflix, with a shareholder vote scheduled for March 20, 2026, and has repeatedly rejected Paramount's acquisition attempts.
- Netflix disputed Paramount’s claims about DOJ approval, emphasizing that routine antitrust
