Paramount-WBD Merger: Public Interest Considerations
House of Commons · Written Statements · 30 Jun 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
On 27 February 2026 Paramount announced it would acquire Warner Bros Discovery for $110 billion-£83 billion. Under the Enterprise Act 2002, I can intervene if I have reasonable grounds to suspect that arrangements are in contemplation which, if carried into effect, will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation and I believe that one or more public interest considerations under the Act may be relevant. Following engagement with the parties and independent research, my Department has today written to the current and proposed owners of Warner Bros Discovery on my behalf to inform them that I am minded to intervene on the following public interest grounds: The need for, to the extent that it is reasonable and practicable, a sufficient plurality of views in news media in each market for news media in the United Kingdom or a part of the United Kingdom. The need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom, or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises, or the enterprises providing on-demand programme services or both, serving that audience. I am conscious that the proposed acquisition is global in nature. In reaching this decision, my focus has been, and will remain, on the UK public interest and the range of services available to UK audiences, including Channel 5, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and CNN International, as well as Paramount+...