CT AG Claims Merger Will Have a "Devastating Impact" on Consumers. Really?
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is sounding the alarm on the proposed $110 billion Paramount-Skydance purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., warning that the deal will have a “devastating” impact on Nutmeggers.
Tong joined 11 other state AGs in a federal lawsuit under the Clayton Act, claiming the merger will hike cable bills, movie tickets, and streaming prices—and even warned of potential network blackouts such as blocking CT residents from watching UConn basketball during March Madness.
On July 20, a federal judge granted the state AG coalition an early win by issuing a Temporary Restraining Order to freeze the transaction. The notoriously litigious Tong, who has dragged Connecticut into 45 federal lawsuits in 2025 alone, quickly hailed the order as a victory.
An Outdated Argument
The Free-marked advocacy group Unleash Prosperity Now called out the absurdity of these outdated antitrust objections. They pointed out that treating the entertainment market like it’s still 1996 misses the reality of 2026. Power no longer rests solely with a few Hollywood studio bosses.
Today, anyone with a smartphone is a content creator, and legacy studios are consolidating purely as a survival tactic against tech behemoths like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple. That reality hasn't stopped state AGs or Hollywood unions from taking to the streets alongside 1970s relics like Jane Fonda—a clear sign these economic arguments belong in the history books, not a federal courtroom.
Between the Lines: What makes Tong's sudden 'consumer protection' crusades even more transparent is the calendar: he is up for re-election on November 3, 2026. With Republican John Bolton challenging his seat, grabbing headlines by suing major media conglomerates looks less like a principled stand for Connecticut families and more like a high-profile PR campaign funded by state taxpayers.