FIRST LOOK
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A federal judge hit pause on Paramount’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
-U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the Northern District of California granted a temporary restraining order — requested by a coalition of 12 state attorneys general — preventing the deal from closing for at least 14 days.
-The plaintiffs argue the merger would “extinguish competition” in the entertainment industry, violating Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, which bars mergers likely to substantially lessen competition.
-Paramount, which had already secured Justice Department clearance, pushed back sharply, vowing to “vigorously defend the transaction” and calling the challenge inconsistent with competitive realities in today’s media market.
-Up next: An August 3 hearing will determine whether a preliminary injunction will freeze the transaction further while litigation continues.
–The clock is ticking: Paramount agreed to pay WBD shareholders a “ticking fee” of 25 cents a share — amounting to more than $600 million — each quarter if the transaction isn’t completed by September 30.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Rights negotiations are being fueled by numbers that are hard to ignore. The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina drew an average of 49.9 million viewers, per AdImpact, making it the most-watched game of the tournament.
-Fox’s broadcast led with 31 million average viewers, split between linear (48%), streaming (31%) and YouTube TV (21%). Telemundo/Peacock averaged 18.9 million, with the majority — 54% — tuning in via Peacock, 38% on linear and 8% on YouTube TV.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Telemundo isn’t waiting for 2030 to snap up more soccer rights. Fresh off its record-breaking FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage, the network locked up exclusive U.S. Spanish-language rights to UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) men’s club competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, for three seasons, beginning with the 2027/28 season. The deal also includes exclusive rights to the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Youth League.
-It’s a big win – from the league phase through the knockout rounds and the UEFA Champions League final, the competition consistently ranks among the most-watched annual sporting events in the world.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Fox Corp.’s Red Seat Ventures inked a programmatic advertising partnership with Amazon , allowing advertisers to purchase Red Seat inventory through Amazon’s demand-side platform. The deal is the latest in a string of similar alliances Amazon has been building across the media landscape, with comparable agreements already in place with Disney, Roku and Netflix.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Disney+ is getting its zombie apocalypse — and it’s set in Riverdale. The streamer greenlit a series adaptation of “Afterlife With Archie,” the horror comic from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla, targeting a Halloween 2027 debut.
-The series reimagines Riverdale as ground zero for a zombie apocalypse triggered by a botched spell from a teen witch.
–Warner Bros. Television is producing.
-Aguirre-Sacasa previously adapted the Archie universe for The CW with “Riverdale” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”
-“Afterlife With Archie” has always been about more than just zombies — it’s about the friendships, loyalty and humanity that make Riverdale worth fighting for,” said Ayo Davis, President of Disney Kids & Family. “Fans are going to fall hard for this new version of the gang … and maybe scream a little too.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Ben Schwartz‘s cult Funny or Die comedy “The Earliest Show” is heading to series, with Amplify Pictures and indie studio Stay Tuned co-financing and co-producing the revival, reports Deadline.
-The six-episode series is based on the Funny or Die short-form comedy following the hosts of a live morning show that launches at 3 a.m. from a tiny upstate New York town. Schwartz will write and direct all episodes.
-Amplify, whose credits include HBO’s “100 Foot Wave,” develops and finances projects independently before taking them to market – a model designed to preserve creators’ creative control and back-end participation. The pair will jointly shop the series to buyers.
-Amplify CEO Joe Lewis called the project “exactly the kind of bold, inventive series that indie TV was made for — wildly original, occasionally unhinged and undeniably hilarious.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
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