Paramount Skydance asked a US judge to require the twelve states challenging its Warner Bros Discovery acquisition to post a $1.88 billion bond covering the cost of delay. Paramount owes Warner Bros shareholders $7 million a day if the $110 billion merger doesn't close by September 30, and with trial set for March and final briefs in April, it puts unrecoverable ticking fees at $1.3 billion by then. Through June 1 the figure reaches $1.7 billion, plus $190 million in incremental financing costs if closing slips to June 2027. The Justice Department's approval expires February 19. California Attorney General Rob Bonta noted Paramount negotiated the ticking fee itself and agreed to the timing it's now protesting, saying the companies are lying in a bed of their own making. Paramount agreed in late July to pause the acquisition until the states' challenge is resolved. California and eleven states sued on July 13 in Oakland federal court, arguing the deal would create a company able to raise prices across film and television. The Writers Guild of America has also sued.
Paramount Skydance Corporation Class B Common StockParamount seeks bond to cover ticking fees from states' lawsuit delaying merger, increasing costs.
Warner Bros Discovery IncWarner Bros Discovery faces delayed merger and ticking fees due to states' antitrust challenge.
