Workers protest proposed $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger

Approximately 100 people attended a protest at Lumiere Music Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday against a proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance. The event was the first stop of a "Main Street vs. The Merger" tour organized by advocacy groups, the Writers Guild of America, and industry workers.

Stand-up comedian Adam Conover addressed the crowd and said the merger poses an "existential threat" to the American cultural industry.

Industry employment trends Employment in the entertainment industry has declined since its peak in late 2022. California lost 17,234 positions between 2019 and 2023, according to the Milken Institute. Film LA reported that Hollywood sound stage occupancy fell to 62 percent in the first half of 2025, down from near-full occupancy in 2016.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said its members worked about 36 percent fewer hours than in 2022.

Antitrust review and opposition U.S. antitrust regulators appear prepared to approve the transaction after Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison pledged the merged company would release at least 30 films per year. A coalition of states including California and New York is reportedly preparing a lawsuit to block the deal.

Former Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said California Attorney General Rob Bonta could challenge the merger by arguing it would reduce competition among film studios. A 2022 precedent in which regulators blocked Penguin Random House's acquisition of Simon & Schuster on labor-market grounds could serve as a model.

Matt Radecki, co-founder of the Los Angeles post-production facility Different by Design, told attendees the merger would shrink the number of buyers for documentary films. "This is the biggest thing that we've faced," he said.