The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has taken a stand against the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), but stopped short of joining a lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The union’s national board adopted a resolution over the weekend publicly opposing the deal, citing concerns about consolidation in the entertainment industry. However, unlike the WGA, SAG-AFTRA has not taken legal action to block the merger.
Meanwhile, according to multiple sources, some top executives at Warner Bros. Discovery privately hope that a separate antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 U.S. states will succeed in derailing the merger. These executives are reportedly part of a sizable contingent within WBD that does not want the deal to go through, though the company’s official stance remains supportive. The states’ lawsuit challenges the merger on competition grounds, and those opposed to the deal at WBD see it as a potential way to stop the acquisition without publicly opposing it.
The resolution and internal dissent highlight growing unease over the merger, which would combine major studios and streaming services. The outcome remains uncertain as legal and regulatory reviews continue.