# EU regulators clear Paramount Skydance merger with Warner Bros Discovery

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/european-commission-approves-paramount-warner-bros-merger/
- Published: 2026-07-23T08:32:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-23T14:48:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/european-commission-approves-paramount-warner-bros-1236818353/
- Topics: Art, Business, Companies, Culture, Entertainment, Europe, Film, Research, Science, World

## Key points

- EU clears $111bn Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger, no competition harm found
- Paramount to unwind Universal film distribution venture within 13 months
- US legal fight continues: states and Writers Guild seek to block deal

## Summary

The European Commission has approved the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing one of the last major regulatory hurdles for the $111 billion (£87 billion) deal. Brussels concluded that the tie-up would not harm competition in television or film production, given that sufficient global and local rivals would remain in the market. The clearance nonetheless leaves the deal shadowed by legal challenges in the United States, where a federal judge in Oakland has temporarily halted proceedings pending a hearing on a preliminary injunction sought by 12 states, and where the Writers Guild of America has separately sought to block the closing over concerns for writers' pay and creative opportunities.

Regulators did flag concerns over film distribution, stemming from Paramount's long-running joint venture with Universal, United International Pictures, which they judged would leave the market overly concentrated. To secure approval, Paramount agreed to wind down that partnership across Europe within 13 months and not to enter a similar arrangement for at least a decade, commitments Brussels said fully addressed its competition concerns. Paramount has now secured approval from roughly 20 countries, including the US Department of Justice, Australia and China, though the United Kingdom has yet to decide whether to intervene, and the outcome of the US legal challenges remains the key obstacle to the deal closing.

## Coverage

- [Variety: EU regulators clear Paramount Skydance merger with Warner Bros Discovery](https://variety.com/2026/film/news/european-commission-approves-paramount-warner-bros-1236818353/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal Blessed by European Union Regulators](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-warner-bros-european-union-regulators-1236654219/)
- [Deadline: Paramount’s Takeover Of Warner Bros. Discovery Gets EU Greenlight](https://deadline.com/2026/07/paramount-warner-bros-eu-approval-1236999973/)
- [Engadget: EU gives Paramount's Warner Bros. acquisition the go-ahead](https://www.engadget.com/2221157/eu-gives-paramount-warner-bros-acquisition-the-go-ahead/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.