Paramount settles lawsuit blocking $110 billion Warner Bros. merger
Paramount settles lawsuit blocking $110 billion Warner Bros. merger
派拉蒙就阻碍其 1100 亿美元收购华纳兄弟的诉讼达成和解
Paramount has reached a settlement with California and the 11 other states that sued to block its planned $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The settlement removes a major roadblock standing in the way of the massive media merger.
派拉蒙已与加利福尼亚州及其他 11 个起诉阻碍其 1100 亿美元收购华纳兄弟探索公司（Warner Bros. Discovery）计划的州达成和解。此次和解消除了阻碍这一大规模媒体合并案的主要障碍。
According to the proposed consent decree filed with the court, it includes requirements like minimum numbers of theatrical film releases over the next five years, starting with 30 in years one and two and 32 in the following years, and a commitment to spend at least $300 million more on production in the US compared to what the companies spent in 2025. At least four of the films produced must be independent films, and at least 20 percent must be “tentpole” blockbuster movies with $50 million-plus budgets and releases on a minimum of 3,000 US screens within the first month.
根据提交给法院的拟议同意令，其中包含了一些要求，例如未来五年内院线电影发行的最低数量（第一年和第二年至少 30 部，随后几年至少 32 部），并承诺在美国的制作投入比 2025 年的支出至少增加 3 亿美元。在制作的电影中，至少有 4 部必须是独立电影，且至少 20% 必须是预算超过 5000 万美元的“支柱型”大片，并需在首月内至少在 3000 块美国银幕上放映。
If Paramount doesn’t meet these film release requirements, it must divest Miramax Studios and pay $30 million per missed film. It also requires the merged company to keep offering a free streaming service, like Pluto TV, and includes a commitment not to sell Paramount Studios or Warner Bros. lots in California for at least five years.
如果派拉蒙未能达到这些电影发行要求，则必须剥离米拉麦克斯影业（Miramax Studios），并为每部未达标的电影支付 3000 万美元罚款。协议还要求合并后的公司继续提供类似 Pluto TV 的免费流媒体服务，并承诺至少五年内不出售派拉蒙影业或华纳兄弟在加州的制片厂地块。
The settlement has rules for the negotiations over cable channels owned by the combined company as well, in addition to requirements for a news editorial independence board “made up of five established journalists” with at least 10 years of experience to ensure editorial independence at CBS and CNN. The Writers Guild of America also settled its antitrust lawsuit against Paramount.
该和解协议还对合并后公司拥有的有线电视频道的谈判制定了规则，并要求成立一个由“五名资深记者”组成的、拥有至少 10 年经验的新闻编辑独立委员会，以确保 CBS 和 CNN 的编辑独立性。美国编剧工会（WGA）也已就其针对派拉蒙的反垄断诉讼达成和解。
At a press conference announcing the agreement, California AG Rob Bonta called the arrangement “the opposite” of the 2018 Disney-Fox deal, where Fox’s film output dropped afterward. “Let me be clear: This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger,” Bonta adds in a press release. “But we believe this settlement, which resolves our antitrust concerns in every market alleged in our case, protects competition and consumer choice, and puts workers’ needs, concerns, and futures first, is the best course of action.”
在宣布该协议的新闻发布会上，加州总检察长罗伯·邦塔（Rob Bonta）称这一安排与 2018 年迪士尼收购福克斯的交易“截然相反”，当时福克斯在交易后的电影产量有所下降。邦塔在新闻稿中补充道：“我必须明确一点：这份和解协议并不代表对此次合并的支持。但我们认为，这份解决了我们案件中所涉及的每个市场反垄断担忧的和解协议，保护了竞争和消费者选择，并将工人的需求、关切和未来放在首位，是最佳的行动方案。”
Paramount Chairman & CEO David Ellison: “We are grateful to Attorney General Bonta and his fellow AGs, as well as the WGA, for engaging in good faith to find a path forward to a resolution that serves all parties, and to Governor Newsom for his support throughout this process. Our shared aim was an outcome that best serves consumers, workers and — most importantly — the creative community so vital to the art of visual storytelling. We’re confident this agreement does exactly that, memorializing a series of commitments that include 30+ films annually and expanded U.S. film production to help revitalize our industry here at home.”
派拉蒙董事长兼首席执行官大卫·埃里森（David Ellison）表示：“我们感谢邦塔总检察长及其同事，以及美国编剧工会，感谢他们以诚意寻求解决之道，以服务于各方利益；同时也感谢纽森州长在整个过程中给予的支持。我们的共同目标是实现一个最有利于消费者、员工，以及最重要的是，最有利于对视觉叙事艺术至关重要的创意社区的结果。我们相信这份协议正是做到了这一点，它记录了一系列承诺，包括每年发行 30 多部电影，并扩大美国本土的电影制作，以帮助振兴我们的本土产业。”
“Our goal has always been to build a stronger Hollywood — one with more stories told, greater choice for consumers and stronger competition. That vision was validated by unanimous approval from competition authorities in nearly 70 jurisdictions worldwide, who agreed this deal is pro-competitive, pro-consumer and pro-worker. Having now addressed the State AGs’ and WGA’s concerns, we have complete clearance for this merger and look forward to putting these commitments into action. Bringing Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery together will build that stronger Hollywood, creating expanded opportunity for our people and even more great entertainment for audiences around the world.”
“我们的目标始终是打造一个更强大的好莱坞——一个能讲述更多故事、为消费者提供更多选择并拥有更强竞争力的好莱坞。这一愿景得到了全球近 70 个司法管辖区竞争监管机构的一致批准，他们一致认为这笔交易有利于竞争、消费者和员工。现在，随着州总检察长和美国编剧工会的担忧得到解决，我们已获得此次合并的完全许可，并期待将这些承诺付诸行动。将派拉蒙与华纳兄弟探索公司合并，将构建那个更强大的好莱坞，为我们的员工创造更多机会，并为全球观众带来更多精彩的娱乐内容。”
The settlement comes just days before Paramount’s “ticking fee” was set to go into effect, which would require the entertainment giant to pay WBD shareholders 25 cents per share for each quarter the deal is delayed past September 30th. The fee would’ve cost Paramount about $7 million per day.
此次和解达成的前几天，派拉蒙的“延期费”（ticking fee）即将生效。根据该条款，如果交易在 9 月 30 日之后仍未完成，派拉蒙需向华纳兄弟探索公司的股东每季度支付每股 25 美分的费用。这笔费用原本会让派拉蒙每天损失约 700 万美元。