LACo Supervisor calls for study of impacts of Warner Bros.-Paramount merger

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced a motion today calling on the county to study the potential economic and workforce impacts of the proposed Paramount Skydance purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The motion, which will be considered by the Board of Supervisors on March 17, would direct the county's Department of Economic Opportunity to analyze the possible effects of the merger on entertainment industry workers in the county and develop a plan to support those impacted by the deal, including possible job-training and placement programs.   

"Despite best intentions, prior studio mergers have resulted in fewer films,'' the motion states. ``In fact, when Skydance purchased Paramount for $8 billion in August 2025, layoffs followed. Many in the industry are concerned about possible workforce layoffs, decreased wages, and less competition, which can result in lower quality of product and lower price. Paramount Skydance indicates it can close the deal by the end of September; therefore, time is of the essence to engage a consultant and complete an analysis of the economic impact."  

Paramount emerged victorious last week in its competition with Netflix to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, with the Warner board concluding Paramount's roughly $111 billion bid to be superior to Netflix's $83 billion offer. Netflix quickly declined to revise its offer, effectively withdrawing from the competition.  

Netflix and Paramount had jockeyed for months over the sale of Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and HBO Max streaming business in a deal closely watched throughout the entertainment industry.

Netflix's offer was to purchase WBD but not all of its cable channels, while PSKY wants to buy the whole company. Warner was planning to spin off its cable channels into a separate company.

Horvath's motion would also call on county attorneys to submit formal comments to the U.S. Department of Justice relating to anti-trust concerns with the proposed merger.

"The entertainment industry is once again facing a merger that could hurt competition, limit the diversity of storytellers, and send ripple effects across our signature industry,'' Horvath said in a statement. ``I look forward to bringing this discussion to the board about how Los Angeles County can take action to assess the full economic impact, protect jobs, support local businesses, and ensure Los Angeles remains the global capital of entertainment."