Mexico's antitrust authority approved the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery on August 14, joining 68 countries that have already cleared the transaction. The deal remains pending a lawsuit filed by 12 state attorneys general in the United States.
Paramount disclosed the approval in a statement released on August 14, as reported by El CEO and Expansión. The review process lasted eight months and covered 68 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, and China, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice. The Mexican decision comes before the U.S. litigation is resolved, placing Mexico among the markets where the transaction can formally advance. For the regional market, attention centers on the concentration of portfolios such as HBO, Warner Bros., and CNN under a single group, a point regulators examined without finding grounds to block the deal.
The company stated that completing all regulatory authorizations, including Mexico's, leaves the closing contingent on the lawsuit initiated by the state of California and 11 other state attorneys general. The complaint argues that the merger harms the distribution of films and television programs and will lead to job cuts in the entertainment industry. David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount, said the trial "stands as a final obstacle" to a transaction that, according to the company, will create a competitor with greater capacity to invest in content. Isabel Reza, managing director at Regulatory Experts, noted that the regulatory focus centers on whether the transaction will allow the resulting entity to restrict access to relevant content or raise its cost for rivals.
With international authorizations secured, the outcome of the U.S. trial sets the closing timeline. The company noted that the additional delay of more than eight months imposes costs through fines and litigation expenses, and the resolution will determine when a merger that already holds approval in Mexico and 68 other countries can be finalized.
This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.