Read The Proposed Consent Decree To Settle The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger — SkimNews
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- The proposed consent decree requires Paramount to spend $300 million more on domestic U.S. film production than it spent in 2025, alongside minimum annual film release requirements.
- A breach of the decree's terms could trigger divestiture of the company's interest in Miramax as one listed remedy.
- Affiliate fee negotiations for cable channels face restrictions requiring separate bargaining, with breach risking forced divestiture of BET, VH-1, Comedy Central, Smithsonian, Destination America, and Science.
- A news editorial independence board will be created to oversee both CBS News and CNN, setting standards and principles for both networks.
- Paramount must continue operating its own lot as well as Warner Bros.' lot under the decree's terms.
Why it matters: The consent decree is the legal mechanism clearing the Paramount–WBD merger, and its terms reveal the regulatory price: $300 million in additional annual domestic film spending, mandatory lot operations, and a single editorial board governing two competing news networks. Breach triggers divestiture risk for specific cable channels and the Miramax library.
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