Paramount Seeks to Shift Merger Delay Costs to States and Writers Guild

Paramount is asking a federal judge to make the states and the Writers Guild of America cover the costs it says it is incurring because antitrust lawsuits are delaying its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The company argues that the hold-up is forcing it to pay costly “ticking fees” and other merger expenses that could add up to more than $1 billion before the case is resolved. The dispute matters because the deal, one of the biggest in media, has been pushed toward a trial that may not happen until 2027, leaving Paramount facing rising financial pressure while the states try to block the merger on antitrust grounds.