It looks like the right-wing media takeover has hit a speed bump, at least when it comes to Paramount and Warner Brothers rolling into one...under the ownership of Trump friend David Ellison.

The Washington Post is reporting that Paramount agreed to "halt" its merger with WB until "as late as July 2027" due to a major antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 Democratic states. They are also "facing a challenge from the Writers Guild of America, which represents many screenwriters and journalists, as well as a group of consumers in Northern California."

So, 3 separate challenges, it appears.

The deal, if it goes through, would be a HUGE merger of Hollywood streaming services and media/news. It would include HBO, Paramount, CBS and CNN. And it would be under the leadership of David Ellison, an ally of the Trump administration who would absolutely push right-wing propaganda.

A federal judge on Monday "temporarily paused the merger, ruling that the states had raised significant enough questions about the consolidation that the deal would bring about." Just five days later, both parties agreed to delay the merger for at least 12 months. But the merger could go forward sooner than 12 months if the judge rules on the merits of the case faster.

Paramount spun it in a statement:

“Today’s agreement is a significant win because the result is exactly what we have sought from the outset: a direct path to a trial based on the evidence. This is the fastest and clearest way to prove that this transaction is good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators, a conclusion dozens of competition authorities around the world have already reached.”

The EU approved the merger in their market after Paramount agreed to "make changes to the way it distributes movies, including avoiding partnerships with Comcast-owned Universal."

The Democratic state attorneys generals were pleased. California AG Bonta put out a statement:

“We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure this unlawful merger never sees the light of day."

It is great that this merger will not happen before the midterms, although there is more than enough time for them to f*ck with the 2028 Presidential election if they go through with the merger next summer. But any delay is good.