Judge Sets Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Trial For March 2027

The trial dates are set.

A federal judge has set the dates for the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger trial, and it will take place in March 2027, per Deadline. The dates are March 2nd-19th.

The date is closer to the timeline that was sought out by the state attorneys general and the Writers Guild America, who sued to block the transaction as a whole, rather than a trial starting in the fall of 2026 and it going in Paramount’s favor.

Paramount wanted it to start in November 2026, but their opposition wanted it to start in April 2027.

The judge added that the trial will not be in session on March 8th and March 15th.

A spokesperson for Paramount issued the following:

“We respect the court’s decision and continue to believe a trial on the merits is the best and most direct way for us to prove what we’ve said from the start – this transaction is lawful, pro-competitive, and raises no antitrust concerns. The lawsuit against us has no basis in fact, economics or antitrust law. We will continue to vigorously defend the transaction and remain committed to closing as soon as possible so its benefits for the creative community and consumers can be realized.”

The merger has an expiration date of June 4th, 2027. Paramount agreed to a $7 billion termination fee if the transaction did not close due to regulatory issues.

The judge signed off that a joint case management statement is due on August 13th and an initial case management conference is set for August 19th.