Dozens of Groups Urge EU to Block ‘Harmful’ Paramount–Warner Bros Merger
Open Markets Institute and more than 25 civil society organizations are calling on Brussels to reject one of the most sweeping media mergers Europe has been asked to approve.
Open Markets Institute and more than 25 civil society organizations are calling on Brussels to reject one of the most sweeping media mergers Europe has been asked to approve. In a letter to European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and the European Board for Media Services (EBMS), the coalition warns that Paramount Skydance's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery would hand one company unrivaled control over Europe's films, television, and news – and deepen a consolidation crisis already gutting the continent's cinemas, studios, and creators.
"Europe's creative industries, information sector, cinemas, and citizens have nothing to gain from this merger being approved, and a great deal to lose," the letter concludes. "Europe must lead the way and stop this harmful deal."
The letter, signed by ARTICLE19 and the International Union of Cinemas, among others, warns that the merger would create a vertically integrated production and distribution behemoth with unprecedented power over Europe's creative industries, working conditions, and cultural landscape.
The deal would accelerate existing trends of industry consolidation that have already had "deeply damaging consequences" for European creators, cinemas, and production studios.
"Europe's cinemas are facing an existential crisis, and this merger would make it worse," the letter warns, citing shorter release windows, fewer films being produced, and increasingly disadvantageous terms and conditions for creators as consequences of further consolidation.
The merger also raises serious concerns about media pluralism in Europe. Together, the two companies already own major European outlets including TVN in Poland, Channel 5 in the UK, CNN International, Eurosport, MTV and Nickelodeon, as well as streaming services HBO Max, Paramount+, Discovery+, and Pluto TV. The letetr highlights how Paramount owner David Ellison has already imposed controversial editorial changes at US media properties he has acquired.
The coalition calls for a multi-pronged approach. On the financial structure of the deal, the coalition urges the Commission to open a parallel investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, noting that sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are financing a significant share of Paramount's bid.
In parallel, the letter calls on the EBMS to issue its own independent opinion and urges relevant national authorities across EU member states to consider blocking the merger under the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).