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Proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery by Paramount: decision of no intervention on Public Interest Intervention or Foreign State Influence grounds
03 September 2026
Type
Written Ministerial Statement
Department
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
At a Glance
Issue Summary
The statement addresses the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery by Paramount and the decision not to intervene based on public interest and foreign state influence grounds.
Action Requested
The Minister has decided not to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice or a Foreign State Intervention Notice due to the assurances and legally-binding commitments provided by Paramount. These protections aim to safeguard broadcasting and news media diversity in the UK. The Minister also indicates potential future legislative action to address on-demand viewing services.
Key Facts
- The Competition and Markets Authority announced on 6 August that there are no competition issues in the UK.
- Paramount provided assurances and legally-binding commitments to safeguard broadcasting and news media diversity.
- Paramount will provide annual statements of compliance with the undertakings.
- The decision is based on the Enterprise Act 2002 powers concerning the UK broadcasting and news media landscape.
- The Minister met with Paramount CEO David Ellison to address film outputs and content diversity concerns.
- The Minister may bring forward secondary legislation in the future to address video-on-demand services.
- No reasonable grounds were found to suspect foreign state influence on this merger.
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