U.K. May Intervene In $110 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Deal

LOADINGERROR LOADINGLONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday it could intervene in Paramount Skydance Corp’s proposed takeover of Warner Bros.Discovery, potentially holding up the $110 billion deal after the U.S.

and China gave it the green light.The move is the first step in a process that could see the deal referred to the U.K.’s anti-trust regulator, which made headlines in 2023 when it blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard to the fury of the two U.S.companies.

It later changed its mind after Microsoft amended its acquisition plan.Advertisement Britain’s possible intervention comes as the global deal has already been cleared by the United States, China, Australia, Germany, France and Saudi Arabia.EU antitrust regulators are now assessing the deal, with Paramount set to offer remedies this week to address competition concerns which will likely help them secure EU approval for the deal.Any lengthy hold up in Britain could have wider ramifications.Britain said it could intervene in Paramount Skydance Corp's proposed takeover of Warner Bros.Discovery, potentially holding up the $110 billion deal after the U.S.

and China gave it the green light.AP Photo/Jae C.

Hong,FileAdvertisement To signal confidence in winning swift regulatory approval, Paramount has offered Warner Bros.Discovery shareholders a “ticking fee” of 25 cents a share for every quarter the deal does not close beyond September 30.

That works out to roughly $650 million in cash each quarter.Paramount said on Tuesday it was confident the deal did not pose any issues on media plurality and it remained confident in its stated timeline.Warner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.U.K.

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