Arguments and Evidence for Blocking the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
Decades of mergers and acquisitions have reduced the number of major U.S. media companies to a handful of transnational conglomerates that dominate the production and circulation of news, film, television, sports, games, and other forms of media and culture. If Paramount Skydance acquires Warner Bros. Discovery, not only will this newly-formed conglomerate be burdened with $79 billion of debt, it will struggle to respect competitive safeguards, serve consumer needs, cultivate the media industry’s long term health, and act in the broader interest of the public.
A team of more than 20 media experts from universities across the U.S. and Canada have collaborated on this research to encourage the courts, government regulators, non-governmental organizations, legislators, and citizens to challenge this deal. While this study addresses some of the quantitative impacts of this potential merger, our scope is far wider. The fourrteen sections of this study define consumer welfare, public interest, and healthy competition more broadly, and consider democratic objectives like fair media access for non-profit and public-serving organizations, the preservation of community cultural spaces like theaters and of community social events like sports, and the support of a diverse range of stories and storytellers. Having spent decades researching the many (often non-quantifiable) ways that media and culture shape our lives as citizens and individuals, we enumerate here what kinds of impacts we can expect from this deal, and why policymakers and the public should be so concerned.
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Table of Contents
AUTHORS
| Andrew deWaard | Associate Professor of Communication, UC San Diego |
| Shawna Kidman | Associate Professor of Communication, UC San Diego |
| Miranda Banks | Professor of Film, TV, & Media Studies, Loyola Marymount University |
| Pete Johnson | Visiting Assistant Professor, Gallatin School, New York University |
| Rodney Benson | Professor of Media, Culture, & Communication, New York University |
| Cale Epps | PhD Student, Cinema & Media Studies, University of Southern California |
| James Fleury | Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies, Washington University |
| Kate Fortmueller | Associate Professor of Film and Media History, Georgia State University |
| Dawn Fratini | Lecturer in Animation, Loyola Marymount University |
| Michael Gainey | PhD Student, Communication, University of California San Diego |
| Jennifer Hessler | Assistant Professor of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California |
| Pete Kunze | Assistant Professor of Communication, Tulane University |
| Deborah Jaramillo | Professor of Film & Television Studies, Boston University |
| Annemarie Navar-Gill | Assistant Professor of Communication, Old Dominion University |
| Charlotte Orzel | Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication, Tulane University |
| Karen Petruska | Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Gonzaga University |
| Pawel Popiel | Assistant Professor of Communication, Washington State University |
| Jennifer Porst | Associate Professor of Film & Media, Emory University |
| Michael Reinhard | Visiting Assistant Professor of Film & Media, Emory University |
| Alex Russo | Ordinary Professor of Media & Communication and History, Catholic University |
| Christine Smith | Associate Librarian, Concordia University Library |
| Ethan Tussey | Associate Professor of Film & Media, Georgia State University |
| Caleb Ward | PhD Student, Film & Media, Georgia State University |