Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders on Thursday “overwhelmingly” approved the deal to sell the company to David Ellison’s Paramount.
But despite that news, a coalition of First Amendment advocates, unions, democracy defenders and Hollywood actors and directors have vowed to continue fighting final approval of the merger.
The Democracy Defenders Fund, which is spearheading the opposition campaign, including an open letter which has grown to over 4,000 names, released the following statement following the shareholder vote:
“A-list stars, professionals from every corner of the film and entertainment industry, elected officials, and concerned citizens have made their voices heard: the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger must be stopped. And it can be. Since launching, our campaign has quadrupled in size with calls for action by state attorneys general amplified by celebrities, legal experts, and elected officials alike. Even today, WBD’s shareholder vote showed cracks in their armor when they voted down CEO David Zaslav’s exorbitant golden parachute package. The momentum is on our side, and it will continue to build. This anti-competitive merger, which poses huge threats to freedom of the press and creative expression, is not a done deal. We will continue to fight against it every step of the way.”
The group includes these organizations, which have vowed to combine resources and funding in an effort to stop the merger:
American Economic Liberties Project
Archival Producers Alliance
Committee for the First Amendment
Democracy Defenders Fund
Free Press
Future Film Coalition
International Documentary Association
Public Integrity Project
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Writers Guild of America East
Writers Guild of America West
Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment
Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment (composed of more than 3,000 actors, writers, journalists, creators, and people in the entertainment industry), also issued a statement on Thursday opposing the merger:
Today’s decision by Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to advance a merger with Paramount is a serious setback — for our industry, for the workers who sustain it, for consumers, and for the fundamental democratic values that depend on a diverse and independent media landscape.
But this merger is not a done deal — and this fight is far from over.
We’ve seen time and again that sustained pressure works. Efforts to challenge consolidation, from the proposed Tegna–Nexstar Media Group deal to scrutiny of Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster, have demonstrated that coordinated legal, political, and public advocacy can change outcomes, especially when state Attorneys General step in to protect the public interest.
We will continue pressing forward on every front.
A handful of powerful decision-makers should not be allowed to quietly reshape American media, culture, and creative life without accountability. We will keep speaking out for the workers and artists at the heart of this industry, and for the public, which deserves more than an ever-shrinking circle of control over what they see, hear, and read.
This fight continues. And we fully intend to win.
The Free Press Also Opposes The Paramount/Skydance And WBD Merger
The Free Press is a nonpartisan organization fighting for people’s rights to connect and communicate. It does not endorse any political party or candidate.
Free Press Co-CEO Craig Aaron also issued a statement on Thursday opposing the merger:
“Today, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted for their short-term financial gains, not for the public good. While shareholders voted against fat pay packages for departing executives — a symbolic rebuke, since the board doesn’t have to listen to them — they’ve opened the door to wholesale layoffs across the news and entertainment industry, more propaganda in news coverage, higher prices for consumers and fewer choices for audiences across the United States and around the world. But shareholders don’t get the final word.
“That’s why we have antitrust enforcers and courts of law. With Trump officials cheering on this deal, state attorneys general must investigate this massive industry consolidation and step in to stop Paramount’s takeover. This mega-merger will diminish creativity and diversity in entertainment, weaken journalists’ ability to expose wrongdoing and hold those in power accountable and further endanger our democracy. It also concentrates far too much media power in the hands of one company and one family, the Ellisons.
“This corrupt merger is far from a done deal. Just because Paramount shareholders won’t take a stand against billionaire and White House control of the media, it doesn’t mean we can’t. While Paramount is flaunting its corruption and fêting Trump officials, we’re standing with the workers and artists at the heart of the news and entertainment industries — and with the American public, which deserves more than an ever-shrinking circle of control over what they see, hear and read.”
