Paramount–Warner Bros Deal Review Is Not Political, DOJ Antitrust Head Reportedly Says

• "The idea that somehow enforcement has ​been politicized is ludicrous," said Acting Assistant Attorney General ​Omeed Assefi in an interview to Reuters.
• According to a Bloomberg report, WBD’s CEO David Zaslav could make more than $667.2 million if WBD’s sale to Paramount Skydance goes through. 
• The payments include $34.2 million in cash severance, $115.8 million in vested stock awards and $517.2 million in share awards, per Bloomberg report. 

Paramount Skydance's (PSKY) proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) will "absolutely not" have ​a fast track to approval because of political factors, ‌the head of the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division reportedly said. 

"The idea that somehow enforcement has ​been politicized is ludicrous," said Acting Assistant Attorney General ​Omeed Assefi in an interview to Reuters. 

"I think even Ted Sarandos has been very vocal about the fact ​that he had ​a very ⁠open and fair and thorough review under us," Assefi added, referring to the CEO of Netflix (NFLX).

Zaslav’s Pay

According to a Bloomberg report that cited a company filing on Tuesday, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav could make more than $667.2 million if WBD’s sale to Paramount Skydance goes through. 

The payments include $34.2 million in cash severance, $115.8 million in vested stock awards, and $517.2 million in share awards that will be triggered by the deal, as per the report.

As per the report, Zaslev sold WBD shares worth $113 million earlier this month. 

WBD’s Deal

Earlier in March, Paramount and Warner Bros. agreed to a deal under which Paramount will pay $111 billion or $31-a-share to buy the company. 

Netflix at the time had said in a separate statement that it declined to raise its offer for Warner Bros. 

Warner Bros. agreed in December to sell its studio and streaming businesses to Netflix for $27.75 per share. The deal has a total enterprise value of about $82.7 billion.

Retail Reaction

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around PSKY and WBD trended in ‘bearish’ and ‘extremely bearish’ territory. 

Shares of PSKY and WBD are down 33% and 5% respectively, so far in 2026. 

Share

·

Add us on