States make last-ditch effort to stop the Paramount ‘media behemoth’
States make last-ditch effort to stop the Paramount ‘media behemoth’
各州采取最后努力，试图阻止派拉蒙“媒体巨头”的诞生
A dozen state attorneys general are trying to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, warning that it would raise movie prices and crush cable TV distributors. 十二位州检察长正试图阻止派拉蒙（Paramount）与华纳兄弟探索公司（Warner Bros Discovery）之间价值 1100 亿美元的合并案，他们警告称，此举将推高电影票价并重创有线电视分销商。
The states — California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington — filed suit on Monday, arguing the combination would illegally harm competition and create a “media behemoth.” 这些州——包括加利福尼亚州、亚利桑那州、科罗拉多州、康涅狄格州、马萨诸塞州、明尼苏达州、内华达州、新泽西州、新墨西哥州、纽约州、俄勒冈州和华盛顿州——于周一提起诉讼，主张此次合并将非法损害市场竞争，并制造出一个“媒体巨头”。
Last month, the Justice Department declined to block the merger in a decision that The Wall Street Journal reported surprised career staff who were leaning toward recommending a lawsuit. In an exit interview with Politico, former DOJ acting antitrust chief Omeed Assefi rejected the report as “not accurate.” 上个月，美国司法部决定不阻止该合并案。据《华尔街日报》报道，这一决定令那些倾向于建议提起诉讼的职业官员感到意外。在接受《政治报》（Politico）的离职采访时，前司法部反垄断代理主管奥米德·阿塞菲（Omeed Assefi）否认了该报道，称其“不准确”。
But according to the states’ lawsuit, the merger would result in a consolidation of two out of the five “major film distributors” and basic cable channel owners, meaning that, “for every dollar generated by wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels in this country, the combined company will pocket more than a quarter.” 但根据各州的诉讼，此次合并将导致五大“主要电影发行商”及基础有线电视频道所有者中的两家合二为一，这意味着“在这个国家，每产生一美元的院线公映电影和基础有线电视频道收入，合并后的公司就将从中攫取超过四分之一的份额。”
In a press release, Paramount said the lawsuit was “based on a misrepresentation of competition in the entertainment industry today” and that delaying it would harm consumers and entertainment talent. 派拉蒙在一份新闻稿中表示，该诉讼“基于对当今娱乐行业竞争状况的误解”，并称推迟合并将损害消费者和娱乐业人才的利益。
The merger has raised alarms both in Hollywood and in political circles, in part because it would put CNN under the control of David Ellison, son of close President Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison. Some former CBS journalists have warned of politically charged interference in programming after Ellison tapped The Free Press founder Bari Weiss to head the network, and ratings under Weiss have reportedly dipped. 此次合并在好莱坞和政界都引发了警惕，部分原因是它将使 CNN 置于大卫·埃里森（David Ellison）的控制之下，而他是唐纳德·特朗普总统亲密盟友拉里·埃里森（Larry Ellison）的儿子。一些前 CBS 记者警告称，在大卫·埃里森任命《自由新闻》（The Free Press）创始人巴里·韦斯（Bari Weiss）执掌该电视网后，节目内容出现了带有政治色彩的干预，据报道，韦斯任期内的收视率有所下滑。
The lawsuit threatens to be costly for Paramount if it delays the deal from closing by September 30th. It’s committed to a 25 cent per share “ticking fee” to WBD shareholders for each quarter it’s delayed beyond that, about $650 million per quarter. 如果该诉讼导致交易无法在 9 月 30 日前完成，对派拉蒙来说将代价高昂。派拉蒙已承诺，若交易推迟，将向华纳兄弟探索公司的股东支付每股 25 美分的“延期费”，每季度约合 6.5 亿美元。