Block the Merger Coalition Urges State AGs to Hold Strong in Antitrust Suit, Launches No Concessions Platform

WASHINGTON — The Block the Merger Coalition is launching a new public-facing petition thanking the 12 state attorneys general who sued to block the dangerous Warner Bros. merger and calling on them to hold strong in their suit. That includes rejecting empty concessions from Paramount before the March 2027 trial. 

Any unenforceable concessions the Ellisons propose in a backroom are a losing proposition, assert the organizers behind NoParamountConcessions.com. They ask state AGs to uphold the antitrust laws so workers in the entertainment industry, consumers and the general public get their day in court. The platform is a project of a coalition of groups, including Free Press, the Archival Producers Alliance, the American Economic Liberties Project, the Committee for the First Amendment, Common Cause, Democracy Defenders Action, the International Documentary Association, the Media and Democracy Project and Public Citizen.

The platform launch comes the day after Iowa and Montana’s spurious filing with the U.S. Supreme Court attempting to block the suit — the latest in the string of apparent stunts to twist the arms of the plaintiffs before the suit can get to trial.

This newest coalition effort follows its successful campaign launched in April that called on state attorneys general to take action against the merger. The initial letter, which has over 5,600 signatures from A-list actors, writers, directors, journalists and professionals from across the entertainment industry, helped turn the tide against the transaction, which had been seen as a done deal.

“Enough with the Ellisons’ astroturf efforts to sabotage the attorneys general’s case against this dangerous mega-merger,” said Free Press Co-CEO Craig Aaron. “Media deals of this scale can’t be salvaged with unenforceable pledges and empty promises. The serious antitrust concerns in this case can’t be resolved via backroom negotiations and corporate PR stunts, but must be litigated in a court of law. Any talk of concessions is just wishful thinking from desperate billionaire owners who know that their plan to seize control of our media endangers our democracy.”

“This merger will kill jobs and raise prices. It’s that simple,” said Alvaro Bedoya, a senior advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project. “I spent three years blocking mergers at the Federal Trade Commission but also enforcing old settlements. Doing the latter is hard and at times nearly impossible. The only sure way to block the harms of illegal mergers is to block those deals outright.”

“Two hundred thousand consumers petitioned the AGs to act because the deal would reduce choice and raise costs and violate antitrust laws. A grassroots movement which I am both proud and a little scared to be part of has risen up to protect the First Amendment and block this merger. But in order to be brave you have to be at least a little scared,” said Kirsten Vangsness, an award-winning actor and member of the Committee for the First Amendment. “We back the AGs one-hundred percent in their lawsuit to protect workers, consumers and free speech, and we believe Paramount needs to have its day in court.”

“Paramount’s request that state attorneys general post a $1.9 billion bond, after Paramount itself agreed to delay this deal, is outrageous and shows exactly why this merger deserves the scrutiny of a full trial,” said Andrea Sawka Fiegl, senior policy director of media and technology at Common Cause. “This merger would give one billionaire family outsized control over the news, entertainment and information Americans depend on while raising costs for consumers. Government decisions about media mergers must protect the public, not corporate interests. The attorneys general should hold firm and let a judge decide this case on the merits.”

“The countless workers, creators and consumers who will be hurt by this merger deserve more than unenforceable concessions offered up in a backroom deal; they deserve a trial,” said retired Ambassador Norm Eisen, co-founder and board member of Democracy Defenders Action. “Empty promises by Paramount in a desperate attempt to finalize the transaction are meaningless. We applaud the 12 state attorneys general for bringing a suit against this dangerous merger. Now, we are thanking them for standing strong and asking them to stay the course.”

“Twelve patriotic state attorneys general have stepped into the breach to defend American workers, consumers and the ‘marketplace of ideas’ from a hostile takeover. They must stand tall, hold the line and give no concessions. This is critical as the United States DoJ, FTC and FCC have been corrupted and no longer represent the best interests of Americans,” said Milo Vassallo, executive director of the Media and Democracy Project.

“This merger remains a threat to workers and to media and narrative diversity. Paramount has tried to bully and threaten the attorneys general and merger critics, but we urge them to stand strong. Workers are counting on the AGs, and many thousands of people have written and called them to voice their support for principled action to uphold the rule of law and decide the case at trial without caving to pressure from over-leveraged billionaires,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen.