BEP Urges CMA to Investigate $111bn Warner Bros-Paramount Skydance Merger

The Balanced Economy Project has urged the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch an in-depth investigation into the $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance.

The deal would bring two of Hollywood's biggest studios under one owner, cutting the number of major studios from five to four. The combined business would run the Leavesden studios outside London, where the new Harry Potter series is being filmed, and would own two of the streaming services available in the UK - Max and Paramount+. It would also hold major UK sports rights through TNT Sports, including Champions League and Premier League football.

In our submission, BEP warns that the deal would put pressure on streaming prices, on the range of films reaching UK cinemas, and on the pay and working conditions of UK writers, directors, performers and crew. Rivals such as Sky could find it harder to license premium content from a single combined source. Our submission argues that these concerns warrant deeper examination and the deal should be referred for a full inquiry, and should not be waved through by the CMA.

Opposition to the deal is already building across the industry. More than 4000 film and television professionals have signed an open letter against the merger. Bectu, the UK creative industries union, has warned that it would damage UK jobs and erode what makes UK programming distinctive.

The full submission is available here to download

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