Warner Bros. Discovery: Proposed Acquisition by Paramount
House of Commons · Written Statements · 3 Sep 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
On 30 June 2026, my Department wrote to Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery on my behalf, informing them under the Enterprise Act 2002 public interest regime that I was minded to intervene in the proposed merger between the two companies, and I issued a written ministerial statement setting this out, which is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-06-30/hcws162 The parties were given the opportunity to make representations to me by 6 July in response to my concerns. Paramount put forward a set of assurances, seeking to address the issues I raised. These assurances included a range of commitments on future investment in the UK, maintaining the distinct editorial identities of key services, and the editorial independence of news. Following further discussions with DCMS officials, Paramount offered to strengthen those assurances and turn them into legally binding commitments by way of a “deed of undertaking” made in my favour. On 6 August, the Competition and Markets Authority announced its decision that there are no competition aspects of this proposed merger in the UK that necessitate its further intervention. In parallel, after careful consideration, I decided not to issue a public interest intervention notice, on the basis that the assurances and further legally binding commitments I secured from Paramount provide a set of protections that will help safeguard the continued availability of a diverse range of broadcasting and...