A preliminary court schedule puts the Paramount-Warner antitrust trial on March 2, 2027.
Why it matters: The timetable lands near the merger agreement's outside dates, raising pressure on both sides as the states' challenge moves forward. It also increases the stakes for financing, integration planning and any settlement talks before closing.
- Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin's preliminary scheduling order sets the trial to begin March 2, 2027, in the Northern District of California.
- Variety reported the schedule from the court order; the judge sits in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
- California and 11 other states filed the federal antitrust complaint seeking to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
- Paramount's SEC filing says the deal has a March 4, 2027 end date and can extend to June 4, 2027 if certain conditions are met.
A preliminary scheduling order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California puts the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery antitrust trial on March 2, 2027, according to Variety's report. The case is before Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin, whose court profile is here.
The schedule matters because Paramount's merger agreement says the deal is due to expire on March 4, 2027, with an automatic extension to June 4, 2027 if closing conditions other than regulatory approvals are satisfied or waived, according to its SEC filing. The filing lays out the dates.
The underlying case is a federal complaint filed by California and 11 other states to block the merger. The states say the deal would harm competition in film distribution, streaming and cable/basic television markets. California Attorney General Rob Bonta later said the parties agreed the merger would not close until June 1, 2027, or after a court ruling on the states' claims, whichever comes first. The complaint and Bonta's announcement frame the dispute.
The Justice Department's Antitrust Division said on June 12, 2026, that it closed its investigation and did not see the merger as likely to harm competition or consumers in several media markets. That closure leaves the state case as the main courtroom risk tied to the schedule now reported by Variety. DOJ's statement explains the separate federal review.
By the numbers
- March 2, 2027 - reported trial start date
- March 4, 2027 - merger agreement end date in Paramount's SEC filing
- June 4, 2027 - automatic extension date in the SEC filing
Yes, but: The trial date comes from a reported preliminary scheduling order, not a separately published merits ruling on the merger.
What's next: The case is set to move toward pretrial deadlines and the March 2, 2027 trial date unless the schedule changes.