Rob Bonta Says David Ellison Should Focus on Antitrust, Not CNN

Key Points:

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta leads a dozen states in an antitrust lawsuit aiming to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, posing a major obstacle that could force asset divestitures and costly fees ahead of a March trial.
• Bonta dismisses Paramount owner David Ellison’s tactics—including a media campaign, threats to leave California, and attempts to have taxpayers cover fees—as desperate and ineffective, emphasizing that the lawsuit will proceed regardless of any relocation.
• Some Hollywood guilds and industry groups have shifted toward favoring a settlement to gain certainty, but Bonta maintains that allowing the merger without structural remedies would be unlawful and stresses a preference for courtroom resolution unless robust structural fixes are proposed.
• Bonta distinguishes between structural remedies, such as divesting assets to maintain competition, and behavioral remedies like production commitments, which he views as difficult to enforce and insufficient to address antitrust concerns.
• The AG criticizes Paramount-Warner Bros.’ public relations efforts as distracting and misleading, urging them to focus on the specific antitrust issues outlined in the complaint rather than unrelated topics like CNN’s future or streaming market dynamics.