Judge Questions Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Settlement; Private Equity Comedy Series Ordered

A federal judge has raised questions regarding the legal merits of the proposed settlement in the antitrust case against the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín presided over a hearing to address "outstanding questions" and has yet to rule on the settlement's approval, indicating a decision will be made "in due course." This legal scrutiny comes as dealmakers suggest the "tech has won" in the context of the $110 billion deal, which is reportedly on track to close within the next two weeks following the settlement of two antitrust lawsuits.

In parallel, Prime Video has greenlit a new workplace comedy series titled "New Money," created by and starring Mekki Leeper. The half-hour show is set in the world of private equity and will be executive produced and co-showrun by Joe Mande. The project, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, is based on Leeper's pilot "Fintech." Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs reportedly reaped over $200 million in fees from Situational Awareness, an AI-focused investment firm that has become the largest client of the Wall Street bank's prime brokerage unit.