The Warner Bros. and Paramount merger has attracted opposition from pretty much every direction and now New York mayor Zohran Mamdani is weighing in. Hollywood stars have signed open letters, senators have written to regulators, protestors showed up outside corporate headquarters on the morning of the shareholder vote.
Zohran Mamdani posted on X that the merger is bad for New Yorkers three times over, citing thousands of jobs at risk in the city, rising streaming bills as competition disappears, and the consolidation of two of America’s most powerful media companies under one roof with the power to shape what people watch and hear. He also linked to an article titled “The Deal That Could Destroy Hollywood.”
In his statement, he wrote,
This merger is bad for New Yorkers three times over. Thousands of jobs at risk here in the city. Streaming bills going up as competition disappears. And two of America’s most powerful media companies under one roof, deciding what you watch and what you hear. Today, as Warner Bros. and Paramount shareholders vote, New York City is on record: this merger should be stopped.
Protesters gathered outside Warner Bros. Discovery’s Manhattan headquarters that morning alongside NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is the former comptroller Brad Lander, and Congressman Dan Goldman, all calling for the deal to be blocked.
What is this merger that Zohran Mamdani is opposing?
Paramount Skydance agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal valued at $110 billion, after a bidding war with Netflix and Comcast, with the offer at $31 per share for Warner Bros. stockholders. The combined party would bring together HBO, CNN, Warner Bros. film studio, Paramount Pictures, CBS, and a huge catalogue of content under a single corporate umbrella operated by CEO David Ellison.
Ellison has defended the transaction as a boost to film output, committing to releasing a minimum of 30 films per year between the two studios and guaranteeing a 45-day theatrical window. However, a lot of Hollywood stars have been against this.
Not just Zohran Mamdani. The Writers Guild argued that a combined Warner Bros. and Paramount would create a media entity with enormous leverage to reduce content, raise prices, suppress writer compensation, and worsen working conditions across the board. For now, we arw awaiting regulatory approval from the Justice Department and international bodies, and state attorneys general are actively scrutinising the deal for antitrust violations.
Edited by Nibir Konwar