Paramount Skydance agrees to halt Warner Bros. merger until next June

BREAKING NEWSJul. 24, 2026, 7:46 PM UTCBusiness NewsBusiness NewsParamount Skydance agrees to halt Warner Bros. merger until next JuneTwelve state attorneys general, led by California’s Rob Bonta, filed a sweeping lawsuit challenging the deal on antitrust grounds.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif.; Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles.Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Daniel ArkinParamount Skydance agreed to freeze its merger with rival Hollywood studio Warner Bros. Discovery until next June while a federal judge weights an antitrust lawsuit from a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general who sued to block the $110 billion transaction.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The agreement, detailed in an 11-page court document filed Friday, lengthens a temporary pause ordered this week by Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the the Northern District of California.The combination of the two companies would create a modern media colossus. It would unite two historic film studios (Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures), two popular streaming platforms (Paramount+ and HBO Max) and two leading news organizations (CBS News and CNN).This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleDaniel ArkinDaniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.