{"id":2575613,"date":"2026-03-03T13:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T18:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fcc-concerns-about-wbd-merger-assuaged-with-paramount-deal\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T13:47:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T18:47:21","slug":"fcc-concerns-about-wbd-merger-assuaged-with-paramount-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fcc-concerns-about-wbd-merger-assuaged-with-paramount-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC concerns about WBD merger assuaged with Paramount deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffcc-concerns-about-wbd-merger-assuaged-with-paramount-deal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2575613&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says he\u2019s optimistic Paramount Skydance\u2019s merger with Warner Bros. Finding will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-vaccine-for-skin-cancer-cuts-odds-of-recurrence-in-half\/\" title=\"Study finds skin cancer vaccine reduces recurrence by 50%\">gain regulatory approval<\/a> after Netflix walked away from its own deal. He called the Paramount\u2013WBD proposal cleaner and less likely to raise competition concerns, suggesting there are real consumer benefits. The merger would combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into one platform and, if completed, both studios plan to release about 15 films annually in theaters\u2014more than either produced last year. Netflix\u2019s retreat followed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-hampshire-governor-signs-new-law-to-increase-the-use-of-renewable-gas\/\" title=\"New Hampshire Governor Signs New Law to Increase the Use of \u201cRenewable\u201d Gas\">competitive bidding process<\/a> in which WBD\u2019s board deemed Paramount\u2019s $31-per-share offer superior to netflix\u2019s $30 offer. While the DOJ and FTC will handle the core antitrust review, Carr said the FCC\u2019s role would be minimal, though the agency could get involved if needed. California attorney General Rob bonta has pledged a full review, signaling strong scrutiny from blue states. The deal could also lead to significant layoffs due to overlapping positions, and Paramount has not yet addressed these potential workforce reductions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">FCC concerns about a WBD merger assuaged with Paramount as buyer: Brendan Carr<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2521538\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-communications-commission\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1637\">Federal Communications Commission<\/a>, is optimistic that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"16440\">Paramount Skydance<\/a> will ultimately have its merger agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery approved by federal regulators after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/netflix\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1727\">Netflix<\/a> scrapped its attempt at a deal last week.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, he believes Netflix would have had a harder time going through the regulatory process had its merger agreement proceeded.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4477932\/smoothie-king-fires-employees-refused-serve-couple-trump-merchandise\/\">Smoothie King fires employees who refused to serve couple with Trump merchandise<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4474196\/fedex-promises-tariff-refunds-trump-administration-returns-money\/\">FedEx promises tariff refunds if administration gives back money<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4468976\/supreme-court-trump-tariff-slap-down-could-limit-end-economic-damage\/\">Supreme Court&rsquo;s Trump tariffs slap-down could limit, if not end, economic damage<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of concerns when Netflix was the potential buyer there,&rdquo; Carr <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/03\/03\/fcc-chair-brendan-carr-wbd-paramount-merger-deal-netflix.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/03\/03\/fcc-chair-brendan-carr-wbd-paramount-merger-deal-netflix.html\">told CNBC<\/a> on Tuesday. &ldquo;That particular combination raised a lot of competition concerns.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Netflix underwent scrutiny led by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"167\">Justice Department<\/a> over possible <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1187\">antitrust<\/a> issues concerning the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-vows-consequences-if-netflix-doesnt-fire-susan-rice\/\" title=\"Trump vows &#039;consequences&#039; if Netflix doesn&#039;t fire Susan Rice\">entertainment company&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s strengthened consolidation in the streaming market. If the platform merged with the WBD-owned HBO Max, Netflix would have solidified its spot as the top streaming service.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, the FCC chief said, Paramount&rsquo;s deal is &ldquo;a lot cleaner&rdquo; and &ldquo;does not raise at all the same types of concerns.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s some real consumer benefits that can emerge from it,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Paramount+ and HBO Max have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/03\/02\/paramount-hbo-max\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/03\/02\/paramount-hbo-max\">significantly fewer subscribers<\/a> than Netflix, even after a possible merger. Once the deal closes, Paramount+ and HBO Max will become one platform. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">hasn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t been given a name yet.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Paramount overtook Netflix in the bidding war to acquire WBD after Netflix <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4473675\/warner-bros-discovery-paramount-skydance-bid-superior-netflix\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4473675\/warner-bros-discovery-paramount-skydance-bid-superior-netflix\/\">declined to raise its offer<\/a> to match Paramount&rsquo;s final revised bid. The WBD Board of Directors found that Paramount&rsquo;s $31-per-share offer was &ldquo;superior&rdquo; to Netflix&rsquo;s agreed $30-per-share bid. In response, Netflix said its deal was &ldquo;no <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >longer financially attractive&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and decided to let Paramount take the win.<\/p>\n<p>Paramount then <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4475109\/paramount-announces-official-merger-agreement-acquire-warner-bros-discovery\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4475109\/paramount-announces-official-merger-agreement-acquire-warner-bros-discovery\/\">quickly announced<\/a> its merger agreement with WBD.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the deal, Paramount and WBD each intend to release 15 films in movie theaters per year. The goal is quite ambitious, considering WBD released 11 theatrical films last year. Only eight films were released by Paramount in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the consumer benefits, one of the downsides to the deal is that both studios will likely implement major layoffs because there will be too many redundant positions if and when the merger becomes official. Paramount CEO David Ellison hasn&rsquo;t clearly addressed the expected post-merger layoffs yet.<\/p>\n<p>Carr said the FCC won&rsquo;t directly oversee the pending Paramount-WBD merger &ldquo;per se&rdquo; because the DOJ and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ftc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2093\">Federal Trade Commission<\/a> hold jurisdiction over the matter, but he left the door open for his agency to get involved.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s any FCC role at all, it&rsquo;ll be a pretty minimal role,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And I think this is a good deal, and I think it should get through pretty quickly.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The FCC may be involved to some extent, as it typically reviews deals involving broadcast networks, such as Paramount&rsquo;s CBS. The commission <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3481899\/fcc-approves-skydance-merger-paramount-dei-assurances\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3481899\/fcc-approves-skydance-merger-paramount-dei-assurances\/\">approved<\/a> Paramount&rsquo;s merger with Skydance last year, resulting in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3838531\/bari-weiss-editor-in-chief-cbs-news-acquisition-free-press\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3838531\/bari-weiss-editor-in-chief-cbs-news-acquisition-free-press\/\">leadership overhaul<\/a> at CBS News spearheaded by <em>Free Press<\/em> co-founder Bari Weiss.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4475069\/can-paramount-save-cnn-itself\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4475069\/can-paramount-save-cnn-itself\/\">CAN PARAMOUNT SAVE CNN FROM ITSELF?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While Carr is in favor of WBD&rsquo;s second merger agreement, Paramount is expected to face tough opposition from blue states over antitrust concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"60\">California<\/a> Attorney General Rob Bonta stated his office would subject the transaction to a &ldquo;full and robust review.&rdquo; Bonta may outline his concerns in a letter to the DOJ at some point, just as Republican attorneys general <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4471597\/republican-attorneys-general-urge-doj-thorough-review-netflix-warner-bros-merger\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4471597\/republican-attorneys-general-urge-doj-thorough-review-netflix-warner-bros-merger\/\">had done<\/a> with the Netflix deal last week before it died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FCC: WBD-Paramount deal cleaner, optimistic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2575614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26014648158856.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[16609,16353,54802,5270,68238],"class_list":["post-2575613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-fcc","tag-merger","tag-paramount-2","tag-regulation","tag-wbd"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26014648158856.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2575613"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2575617,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575613\/revisions\/2575617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2575614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2575613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2575613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2575613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}