Britain is signaling it may step in on the $111 billion Paramount Skydance takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said she’s “minded to intervene” — citing concerns about media plurality and ownership concentration.
This deal would be massive. It’d combine WBD’s CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. with Paramount’s CBS, Channel 5, and a whole stable of other assets. One of the world’s biggest media groups, basically.
Nandy’s concern centers on UK operations: Channel 5, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, CNN International, Paramount+, and HBO Max. She’s got until July 6 to make a final call. If she proceeds, Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority will scrutinize the deal.
The timing gets interesting. The Trump administration already approved the takeover. The EU is expected to approve with some conditions — possibly forcing Paramount out of its Universal Pictures joint venture. A UK intervention could complicate things.
A “minded to” statement is the first step before legal action to block a merger. Paramount has until July 6 to respond. The company says it’s confident the deal doesn’t raise media plurality issues and expects to close in Q3.
