BELGIUM PERSPECTIVE

Brussels, July 22, 2026. The Belgian government is closely following a federal judge's decision in Oakland, California, which ordered a temporary suspension of the acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) by its competitor Paramount Skydance on Monday, pending a thorough review of the case. Belgian authorities note that twelve US states, led by California, are contesting the takeover in court, which values WBD at $110 billion, including debt. These prosecutors argue that the combination of the two companies would pose a risk to fair competition and consumers.

The Belgian press reports that for months, Netflix and Paramount Skydance had been vying to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, until Paramount ultimately won out, with the final agreement being "no longer financially attractive" to Netflix. The matter seemed settled until California and eleven other states took the case to court. According to Belgian media, the Oakland judge ruled that the states had demonstrated that Paramount and Warner would together hold a significant market share in the sector, with a risk of price increases and reduced choice for viewers.

The suspension, set at a minimum of two weeks, is intended to prevent Paramount from quickly eliminating jobs or sharing sensitive information with Warner Bros before a ruling on the merits is made. A hearing is scheduled for August 3 to determine whether the block should be extended for the duration of the proceedings, which could last several months. US federal authorities had nonetheless approved the deal without conditions. Paramount says it is "convinced that the elements of the case" justify the merger, according to reports.

The Belgian coverage remains factual and devoid of editorial commentary, limiting itself to relaying AFP dispatches and VRT information without developing an analysis of the repercussions for the Belgian audiovisual market, which is a client of several channels in the Warner group.