--- title: "Paramount-Warner Bros deal faces ‘sufficient competition’, says CMA" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296129011.md" description: "The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) cleared the £111bn Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger, concluding that sufficient competition from rivals like Universal, Disney, and Sony will prevent market dominance. The regulator dismissed concerns regarding reduced film releases, cinema revenue terms, and creative worker bargaining power, noting robust competition in streaming and children's TV. This approval leaves only a US lawsuit as the final hurdle for the deal." datetime: "2026-08-17T16:09:17.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296129011.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296129011.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296129011.md) --- # Paramount-Warner Bros deal faces ‘sufficient competition’, says CMA Monday 17 August 2026 4:58 pm | Updated: Monday 17 August 2026 5:07 pm Add as a preferred source on Google The combined business is expected to become the UK’s largest tv distributor The Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger will face “sufficient competition” in the UK to prevent the combined Hollywood giant from gaining too much market power, the competition watchdog has said. In a full decision published on Monday, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) laid out why it cleared the £111bn tie-up earlier this month, after examining its impact on cinemas, streaming, children’s television and creative workers. Its 23-page decision reveals that the regulator examined concerns that the deal could hand the combined company greater power over cinemas, lead to fewer films being released or weaken the bargaining position of workers in the creative industries. But the CMA concluded Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery would continue to face enough competition to keep those risks in check. The combined business is expected to become the UK’s largest theatrical film distributor, with an estimated market share of between 20 and 30 per cent. However, Universal and Disney each also command shares of between 20 and 30 per cent, while Sony and a collection of smaller studios provide further competition. The watchdog found that while Paramount and Warner Bros compete closely, they are no closer competitors to each other than they are to Universal, Disney or Sony. ## Cinemas raised concerns The full decision provides new detail on objections raised during the CMA’s investigation. Some cinemas warned that combining two of Hollywood’s five biggest studios could result in fewer films reaching cinemas, while others raised concerns that the enlarged company could use its size to demand better revenue-sharing terms or shorter theatrical windows. Several respondents also warned that greater buying power could weaken the position of actors and other creative workers, potentially hitting wages and limiting opportunities for specialist talent. The CMA rejected those concerns, saying competition from other major studios, smaller producers and streaming companies meant the merger would not materially increase Paramount’s bargaining power over either cinemas or creative workers. It also dismissed concerns around streaming. Bringing Paramount+, HBO Max and Discovery+ under the same owner would still leave the group facing Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple, alongside free services including BBC iPlayer and ITVX. The watchdog similarly found that the combined children’s TV business would remain constrained by free-to-air television and streaming as audiences continue to move away from traditional, payed TV children’s channels. The UK decision comes as Paramount attempts to clear the final hurdle to complete the takeover. The company said last week it had now secured regulatory approval across 68 countries, leaving a lawsuit brought by California and 11 other US states as the remaining obstacle to the deal. ### Related Stocks - [WBD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WBD.US.md) - [PARA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PARA.US.md) - [PARAA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PARAA.US.md) - [DIS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DIS.US.md) - [SONY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SONY.US.md) - [DISO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DISO.US.md) - [6758.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/6758.JP.md) - [NFLX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NFLX.US.md) - [AMZN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md) - [AAPL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AAPL.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Paramount seeks $1.88 billion bond from state AGs to cover costs of WBD merger delay](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296137299.md) - [Fisher Funds Management LTD Purchases 205,000 Shares of Warner Bros. 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