Paramount-WBD Combo Is “Not A Merger That Serves The Public,” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Says

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expressing solidarity with New York Attorney General Letitia James and 11 other state attorneys general suing to stop the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

In a statement posted to social media after 12 state AGs filed an antitrust lawsuit Monday seeking to block the $110 billion deal, Mamdani said he was “proud” that his state was among those taking a stand.

“This is not a merger that serves the public,” he said. “It would hand one company nearly a third of the movies and cable channels Americans watch, raise prices for streaming and cable, endanger the livelihoods of thousands of New York artists and entertainment workers, and threaten to shutter theaters across our city. New York’s workers helped build this industry. They should not be sacrificed for the sake of further corporate consolidation.”

Mamdani, who became mayor on January 1, has a notable Hollywood connection. His mother, Mira Nair, is an Oscar-nominated director. Before focusing on politics, Mamdani pursued a rap career and had one of his songs featured in Queen of Katwe, a film Nair directed for Disney in which the future mayor also made a cameo.

Paramount, meanwhile, has pushed back against the lawsuit. The company says it will result in delays that will harm entertainment workers and help tech companies that have “come to dominate” the entertainment sector.

New York and the other plaintiffs view it differently, as James explained in a statement.

“For over a century, Paramount and Warner Bros. have competed to create movies and television that bring people together, inspire and sustain generations of artists, and help us understand the world,” she said. “This merger would destroy that competition, creating a massive company with unprecedented power and influence over news and entertainment across the globe. Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. threatens to raise costs for consumers and put jobs and businesses nationwide at risk. I thank my fellow attorneys general for joining this effort to uphold the law and block this merger.”